Sholom Mordechai Pleads: Help Eliyahu Ezagui
Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin wrote a letter from prison, pleading with the public to help Eliyahu Ezagui. Mr Ezagui, who allegedly committed mortgage fraud, is under house arrest and faces 15 years in Federal prison.
Dear Friend,
Writing from prison, where he is himself fighting the prospects of a long jail sentence, Sholom Mordechai writes [see the hand-written letter below], on behalf of his long time friend Eliyahu Ezagui.
Eliyahu is facing the prospects of a Federal jail sentence as long as 15 years for bank mortgage fraud. His lawyer has spent hundreds of hours on his case and is owed over $300,000.00. The case has been passed on her associates to handle, and his lawyer is in the process of foreclosing on the home of his brother Shlomo who put up his house as collateral to guarantee the fee. Please see the attached letter.
Mr. Ezagui has been under house arrest for close to two years and has been unable to raise the money needed for his legal fees. Now, because so much money is owed, he does not have proper legal assistance at this critical time to prepare for sentencing.
We, the people who have signed below, have joined together to assist in raising the funds to pay Eliyahu’s lawyer. Once the money is raised and the lawyer is paid, she will begin working on the case again. This will enable her to prepare for the sentencing hearing and put together arguments needed to convince the judge not to treat him harshly. It could literally mean the difference between a minimal jail sentence, and a sentence of 15 years for a 46 year old man with a wife and 4 children who are being slowly destroyed.
Sam Melamud
Yankel Pinson
Rabbi Kasriel Brusowankin
Moshe Melamud
Eli Nash
Leibish Nash
Leah Rubashkin(Wife of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin)
Yossi Rabkin
Yankel Goldstein
Moshe Pinson
Yossi Hackner
Rabbi Shea Hecht
Raphael (Ralph) Adouth
Rabbi Levi Forta
Rabbi Yossi Jacobson
Please do not allow a few dollars to be the difference between a Jew rotting away in prison for ten or twenty years when it could be much less if he had lawyers working on the case.
In this three week period when we are mourning the destruction of the Beis Hamikdosh, please open your heart to Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin’s heartfelt plea (see attached letter) on Eliyahu’s behalf and fulfill the Mitzvah of Pidyon Shvuim by donating online today at
Donations can also be mailed to:
CHJCC General Pidyun Shvuyim Fund
392 Kignston Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 US
For phone donations please call Musia at JCC 718-771-9000 ext 0.
nsker
With all due respect, even if you know that you are innocent and your crimes are grossly exaggerated, a convicted prisoner is not in the best position to make such appeals. It invites unnecessary comparisons and risks backfiring at the trial.
Sara
Someone does not get arrested for no reason no one gets arrested if there is not some truth to it so maybe before the crime is done people should start realizing that u break the law u deserve the consequences its not news to anyone.
to #2
I’m sure you too break the law here and there Sara its just that you don’t get caught, everyone makes mistakes but if they acknowledge their mistakes, regret them and make retribution they should not have to sit in jail and waste their life that G-d granted them. The system of conviction has got to change in America, years and years in jail does no one good, unless their dangerous to society. my humble opinion. let’s help the man!!!
Tzvi
To nsker and Sara. You both have big mouths and should look yourselves in the mirror and ask, beg for forgiveness. One of the signatories on the letter Ralph Aduth was set up by an employee and accused of tax evasion. He was found to be 100% innocent. Aditionally it came out in the case how the Government did everything to try to get him to do tax evasion but did not succeed. Dont you dare ever say again that someone cannot get arrested for no reason.
nsker is right
For both of them….maybe next time you shouldn’t steal.
RWoonteiler
The issue is not whether mr ezagui did wrong or not. It is obvious that he did terrible things.
However, as Torah Jews – and specifically as chasidim – we must not follow our emotional feellings but we must follow what the the rabonim say to do. And they have said unequivocally to give money to ezagui’s lawyers is pidion shivion mamosh.
I also protest that a website like crownheights.info will accept opinions that are contrary to the psak din of a rov –especially in a case of piyan shvuin. When other opinions are expressed, people see the validity of their opinions and don’t give to this great cause (of pidyan shivuin).
chana
Chagas chassidim follow their feelings – Chabad chassidim follow their heads. My question is why Ezagui was under house arrest for two years (which led to him being unable to raise the legal fees). What did he do to have them put him under house arrest?
My other question is why, if he was under house arrest, he did not find a work-from-home internet job.
I feel bad for his brother, innocent and about to lose his home. Although logically, perhaps the brother was an accomplice, but that would have to be looked into.