Rockland County, NY – A chasidic Jew from Rockland County has been identified as the cooperating witness who helped the FBI uncover a massive plot to rig the 2013 New York City mayoral race and led to the arrest of six politicians who allegedly accepted bribes.
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Multiple NYC media outlets are reporting Morris Stern as the witness who was instrumental in pulling together the arrests of Senator Malcolm Smith of Queens, City Councilman Dan Halloran of Queens, Bronx GOP chairman Joseph Savino, Queens GOP vice president Vincent Tabone and Mayor Noramie Jasmin and Deputy Mayor Joseph Desmaret, both of Spring Valley, as previously reported on VIN News.
According to an article in 2010 by Forbes.com, (http://onforb.es/txZ5HN) the 40 year old Stern who is also known as Mark Stern or Moshe Stern is a Monsey resident who was born in Argentina.
Originally in the garment business, Stern moved on to the real estate business and is described in media accounts as a real estate developer. Stern graduated Satmar Yeshiva United Talmudical Academy in Kirays Joel in 1991.
Stern made headlines in 2007 when he defaulted on loans he took out from Citigroup in excess of $100 million, several years after two companies that he owned went bankrupt. The matter sparked a complicated federal criminal investigation and the New York Post reported (http://bit.ly/Xp5lCS) that Stern pleaded guilty in federal court three weeks ago as part of his cooperation deal.
Stern and the undercover FBI agent led the politicians involved to believe that they were wealthy developers looking for to curry favor and would use their economic resources to help Smith bribe his way into City Hall in exchange for political favors that would pave the way for their upstate development projects.
I give Credit for Mr. Stern for just putting in Politicians, and Not Maser Rabbi’s.
Oy vey..
What a Chilel Hashem. I Stern did the crime, he should not put in others for time. This does not make us a good name out there.
the government has a funny way of stoping crime, they take a existing climinal and let him free if he can create a few new criminals…. intresting?
Amazing. No comments on the tremendous Chillul Hashem involved here. Not one of these crooked politicians thought – “Oh, a frum yid would never be offering me a bribe.” We can and should do better.
What a sick “COWARD”! to Comment #1 , why is it OK to pull in innocent people? Jews or non-Jews. What a sick mind.
I still don’t get what these polticans did more wrong then any other politican. Until recently didn’t all Senators stick pork in their bills. What do you think pork is? I pass the bill if you approve/ fund a project in my district so that I in turn recieve campaign money from my constituents? What about kissing up to unions? The unions are not in bed with albany polticians?
What’s the mitzvah ? Will only bring miss-trust to hiemisha yidden.
No Yid Should Be A moser No Difference If For Yid Or Not! its A Chillul Hashem!
Why should Rabbis be protected if they would do the same thing wrong?? you are a bigot!!!
1. What did he gain? No jail time?
2. Hope it doesn’t affect the future relationships between Jews and Govt officials.
“I bet a lot of other folks are nervously reviewing their interactions with him.”
Agreed. There are a lot of nervous politicians in Rockland today.
Luke.
Another Dweck..?
Horrific Chillul Hashem , this will hurt everyone, very ashamed
Now that the politicians will start singing this will snowball into a bigger scandal and i’m afraid other monsey developers and mosdos might get caught in the mix. This wont end well for anyone.
Yidden, we don’t need to live in ostentatious MCMANSIONS like the one pictured here. BE HONEST AND HASHEM WILL LOVE YOU!
“This wont end well for anyone.”
I think it will end well for us taxpayers.
Luke.
‘Dad, I’m considering a career in organised crime’.
‘Government or private sector?’, father asks!
Everything was taped!!
i know moishy stern since school days…he was always a super brain but lost it when he lost his father at a very young age…He comes from a very chusheve mispuche and he is a great learner and bal midos…somehow he got fardryet with wrong business dealings and why he ended up like this is a beyond my mind..at least he did not follow Dwecks footsteps because he could of widened this scandal with lots of heimishe people…..
I think he was on the East Ramapo school board at one time. Same name and address.
He is a talmud from rav Kopelman yeshivas Luzern Switzerland from the few closest Talmidim to Rav Yitzchok Dov Kopelman zatza”l personally, and donated substantial amounts of charity for yeshivat Luzern Switzerland.
wow he is building a nice mansion!
1. No Yid should ever be involved in any kind of messireh!!! Doesn’t matter Jew or gentile
2. Having said that let’s still no forget our chazal “al todin haveiro ad shetagia limkomo”!
We’re missing the bigger picture here. We don’t choose our candidates, they’re chosen by political clubs and machers in political parties. The corruption that exists in the political selection system gives this city and country a grade below that of third world countries where this corruption is de riguer. It’s greater than who throws the checks in the toilet, we’re being thrown in the toilet by the smiles and winks of professional politicians whose job is to get re-elected and as we see from this, at any price. We’ve have abrogated our role in the process and the government of the people, for the people and by the people is now of the few, for the few and by the few.
Sorry But he made bad for kllal yisroel that not One Politician would want to be good with us now after this…
The murmurs in and around Monsey are resounding. It is a bit unnerving to be witness to this.
Luke.