Opening statements were held in the trial accusing Crown Heights developer Eliyahu Ezagui, who prosecutors paint as a scammer and crook, while the defense called him a good deed doer who only did what he did with blessing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Ezagui Defence brings up Rebbes Blessing in Trial
Opening statements were held in the trial accusing Crown Heights developer Eliyahu Ezagui, who prosecutors paint as a scammer and crook, while the defense called him a good deed doer who only did what he did with blessing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
John Marzulli of the Daily News writes:
Apartment scam developer Eliyahu Ezagui says rebbe backed him
The rebbe made him do it.
A Brooklyn developer accused of fleecing dozens of Hasidic families in a massive subprime mortgage fraud scheme took cover behind a divine defense on Tuesday.
Eliyahu Ezagui’s lawyer told jurors his client received “a blessing” from the late Rabbi Menachem Schneerson to build affordable housing for the Lubavitcher community in Crown Heights.
“It was a mitzvah to him, a Hebrew word that means a good deed and an obligation,” defense lawyer Susan Necheles said in her opening statement in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Schneerson is considered by some followers to be their Messiah, and thousands of Hasidim from all over still make a pilgrimage to his grave site 15 years after his death.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Schaeffer said Ezagui was nothing but a crook who scammed $2.6 million from condominium buyers and more than $10 million from banks.
“Family after family who trusted the defendant are fighting against foreclosure of the homes they bought from him,” Schaeffer told the jury.
Prosecutors built a criminal case against Ezagui after the Daily News revealed in 2008 how he allegedly conned buyers into purchasing condos, then refused to hand over the deeds when the construction was completed.
Instead, Ezagui allegedly gave the deeds to family members – including his wife, father and mother – who applied for mortgages on condos the victims thought they owned.
Although Ezagui had the grand rebbe’s blessing, he needed cash to build and that’s where the investors came in, Necheles argued.
She said the so-called victims are sore losers trying to use the criminal justice system to recoup their investment losses.
The government’s first witness appeared confused by the contracts and promissory notes.
“I thought Ezagui was a good man and I still think he’s a good man, but I trusted that whatever I signed was not going to hurt me,” said Tova Eilenberg, who bought two apartments at 770 Lefferts Ave.
East New York Avenue
He shouldnt bring in the Rebbe and try to excuse his actions! The Rebbe would never allow such a thing! You need to be responsible for youre own actions and not blame it on people. You cheated people so you need to pay the price now!! It cannot be that every criminal becomes a Tzadik and could skip the punishment of his actions!
HAPPY
THIS WHOLE IDEA THAT HE KEEPS SAYING THE REBBI’S BLESSING THAT MAKES ME SICK. IF THE REBBI GIVE YOU A HAMMER TO BUILD AND YOU BANG SOMEONE OVER THE HEAD WITH IT….. MAY HASHEM HELP AND WE SEE ONLY GOOD.
How could they?!
Innocent or not, how could people use our Rebbe as a defense?
And please don’t say that it is an anti-semite reporter who is twisting this.
There are limits. And using our Rebbe as a defense for alleged criminal activity should be an obvious no-no.
AH
I wish I could remember the details, but there’s a story with R’ Levi Yitzchak Berditchever (I think it’s told in Shmuos Vesipurim, by R’ R.N. Kahn) where an unmarried girl became pregnant (by some local non-Jewish boy, probably) and then blamed the Rav. Her excuse? Everyone knows that women become pregnant when they hear R’ Levi Yitzchak’s tefillos!
Same here, then. So the Rebbe gave Ezagui a berachah. What’s that got to do with whether his actions were legal or not?
ch guy
I am sooooo amazed and you can’t say the reporter missed something or whatever – its known he uses that as a defense, and to state as such is such rubbish it boggles the mind!
Many received brochos from the Rebbe – that didn’t give them a right to mess with people the way he did. Utterly amazing!
Ralpho
The trial is to determine if he scammed or not – so let’s not judge him until the verdict is in.
Ye Right.
This is guy is not even admiting to owning up to his mistakes. Just cry rebbe and your tottaly innocent!
Sorry but you got a long way to go Mr Ezagui!
Concerned chassid
Ezagui and Rubashkin – both dragging the Rebbe into their criminal activities which they profited from…
???
What happened to not judging another Jew until you reach his place?
family friend
i love how people thimk its ok to judge a man and misinterprate his comment on how the rebbe gave hima barcha.
Did he outrightly blame the bracha? no he didnt he just stated it. so everyone calm down the rebbes watching and the judges will mske a decision .
Big Shailos
There is a big issue of mesera. This is not the civil case. Anyone forced to testify should ask a rov.
ezagui and RUBASHKIN????!!!!
THER TOTALY DIFFRENT ONE OF THEM WAS A MAJOR BAAL TZDAKA AND THE OTHER SKAMED OTHER YIDEN
Confused!?!?!
Did the Rebbe also give him a brochah to scam all the money?
What don-t you get?
Ok perhaps I can clarify:
The defense’s argument is: Mr. Ezagui did not build these condos in order to scam unwitting prospective tenants; he did it for the benefit of the community — and in fact, the Rebbe encouraged and even blessed him to. So when he fell on tough times and was unable to pay off mortgages he (according to the defense) properly borrowed, unfortunately, it was exactly that: he fell on tough times. He never acted with fraudulent intent; his sole, noble intent was to carry out the Rebbe’s directive and develop affordable housing for the good of the Lubavitch community.
You are free to reject any of the predicate facts of this argument; but please don’t mischaracterize the defense’s discussion of the Rebbe’s brocha as an attempt to avoid liability and justify fraudulent actions; they are clearly denying any such motivation.
To ???
To ???
I live in his place. I’ve dealt eith him. And while I personally wasn’t scammed I am in a position to comment on his actions. Everything he’s going through now is a result of his own stubborness, It didn’t have to come to this but he thought he knew better than all the lawyers, his own included. I don’t wish him ill, but don’t ask me for money to help him get out of the mess he created for himself.
True what the Rebbe said, BUT..
The Rebbe told him to build affordable
houses, BUT did the Rebbe tell this dude
to engage in risky or foolish activity, where
lots of innocent victims got trashed?!
Give me break; don’t drag the Rebbe into his shenanigans.