New York – A Los Angeles man who made “donations” to several charitable organizations associated with a New York-based orthodox Jewish group – “donations” that were largely and secretly refunded – has been sentenced to six months in federal prison for attempting to avoid the payment of federal income taxes.
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David Hager, 55, of the Hancock Park district of Los Angeles, who pleaded guilty in October to two counts of tax evasion, was sentenced yesterday afternoon by United States District Judge John F. Walter. Judge Walter also imposed a $30,000 fine and ordered Hager to perform 1,500 hours of community service once he is released from prison.
Hager is the first person to be sentenced after admitting that he fraudulently made “contributions” to charities associated with Spinka, a religious group within Orthodox Judaism based in Brooklyn, New York. Spinka Grand Rabbi Naftali Tzi Weisz, his assistant, several other defendants and five Spinka charities were indicted in late 2007 on a host of federal charges related to a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud U.S. government agencies, to operate an underground money transfer system and to launder money through an Israeli bank (see: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/pressroom/pr2007/164.html). Several defendants, including Weisz’s assistant, have pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing.
Weisz, along with several individuals and the Spinka charities, are scheduled to go on trial on June 17.
Prosecutors have expanded their investigation to include more than 100 individuals who were contributors to Spinka organizations. Rejecting Hager’s plea for probation yesterday, Judge Walter said that the crime reflected Hager’s “arrogance” and that other contributors who do not come forward to authorities could face “significantly higher” sentences.
In a plea agreement filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles, Hager admitted that he filed federal tax returns for the years 2001 through 2006 that fraudulently claimed deductions for contributions to Spinka organizations.
Hage acknowledged that he was reimbursed 90 cents for every dollar he “donated.” For those years, Hager owes the government $189,169 in back taxes, a figure that must be paid to the Internal Revenue Service within one month.
Hager also admited that he received cash from Spinka organizations in order to give kickbacks to other contributors. During 2005 and 2006, Hager received more than $300,000 in cash that he relayed to others, according to his plea agreement.
The investigation into the Spinka entities and the contributors is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS-Criminal Investigation.
something shtinckta here
the moyser should burn in hell. Hagers, our thoughts are with you!
who is the mooser? hager?
he should have applied for a job with “Team-Obama”. All would have been forgiven.
Velamalshinim Al Tehee Tikvah!
Why are you being so hard on Hager? He was faced with a tremendous nesoyon and he chose not to pass it. Many of us are faced with Nisyonos and don’t pass them either. Al todin es chavercho ad shetegia limkomo.
Dina d’Malchusa would mean that all Obama’s staff that are admitted “tax cheats” would share an equal fate. Since they’re not, and were allowed to just pay now and go on with their lives, so too should this person who actually gave charity – they got 10% more than they previously had (right?), this Yid is entitled to the same treatment and expectations. Unfortuantely, it came to light then. Had it come up now, I’m sure a good lawyer could have used it as part of the defense. Anti-Semittin!
To #9 – There is no question that Mesira is a serious issue that shaalos must be asked of competent Rabbonim to see if that halacha applies to a given situation. However, by what you wrote, stealing from the government and lying on you r taxes is not only mutar but almost a mitzvah – HOW KRUM CAN YOU GET??. What about the constant Chillul HaShem every time a “frum” person gets caught in some form of fraud? In many circles – “ultra Orthodox Jews” have no cheskas kashrus in regard to their business practices.
This is why some people respond with venom. Ehrlicher Yidden are sick and tired of all the shtick our co-religionists are all to often caught up in – to the detriment of all other “Orthodox” Jews.
Why jail? He should be secretary Of treasury like Geitner.
I am a big supporter of the spinka rabbi, but we have to stick to the point, “let’s not stole the governments money, we – orthodox have to be more honest, it’s noting wrong to take a lesson!!!
Kasira is the moser.Worms and rats will eat his flesh before it cools off
The real tragedy here is that this rebbe who ran this scam is not going to jail too. That would send a real lesson to yiddim to follow the law and not show such arrogance to the law. There is NO EXCUSE for such a chillul hashem by a rebbe. It was the right thing to turn him and his cohorts over to the FBI.
Just because some people cheat on their taxes, does that make it right? The apparant attitude by some here that is does is troubling.
It’s amazing how many we Chumras we have been Mekabel on ourselves, How come we haven’t accepted the “Chumrah” of Dina D’malchusa?? When was the last time you asked a Shailah from a Dayan on these issues?
To all you people who defend the Moser over the Rebbe, and I am not saying the Rebbe is right, what do you say baout the tax cheats in the Obama Administration?
To say that stealing & causing a Chilul Hashem is no big deal is ridicolus, and I don’t mean that the Rebbe and others involved in this case did chas vesholom any of the above, since I don’t know the details and I doubt anyone of you know more of what you heard or read in the papers etc. however, to minimize the sin of Mesira can only come from lack of knowledge of what is says in Choshen Mishpat etc. Its indeed the worst sin that a jew can commit. If you steal you must return it, if you cause Chilul Hashem which is also very bad, sometimes only death can be Mechaper etc. But you can’t find on any sin where it says such harsh words like you see on a Moser, and to all mosrim we say Yemach Shmom Vezichrom! even if in some cases they can wear a Shtreimel, a Mosur is not considered a jew according to Halacha!
Kasirer is no doubt a Mosur, and he lost Olem Habah like it says on Mosrim, if he has brains let him move to Williamsburg where Mesira is no big problem, Nebach!
What if the feds read these posts and decide that WE have not learned our lesson and will punish the defendants harder! Please “breeder” hutz rachmunis!
36 and those before you, you make me sick. DOn’t wish jail on anyone except a murderer, rapist etc… I’m not saying he was right but how evil can you be?
I don’t care who stole what a mosser iz a mosser and me daft em aran tinken in da mikva permanently
Dovid Hager is a smart decent compassionate jew who made a mistake. Mesirah is a non-issue since others already “spilled the beans”. He made a buisnessmans descion to be the first to admit his mistake, to endure the “knas” & to move on with his life. He is a family man who has a loving wife and children. He is a baal achrayis for klal yisroel as he strongly supports and is active in many worthy klal yisroel causes. His tzedaka is & has always been truly l’shem shamayim & he does not seek any fame for his noble acts. He made a mistake and is paying for it dearly – Hashem yerachem al kulanu.
This has nothing to do with mesirah.
It is a case of a decent man assesing his personal matzav,admitting his foible , paying the price and trying to move back as soon as possible to a fine yiddishe family life that is full of Torah & chesed.
The IRS says each of us pays an extra $2000 each year because of ganovim such as Hager, weisz etc. who evade taxes..thats stealing from each of us.
David:
We know all the amazing things that you have doen for so many people and organizations. The endless amount of tzedokah and chesed that you do is admirable. In the zechus of all you have done, Hashem should watch over you and the family and you should come out of this mess much stronger. May Hashem give you physical, mental and emotional strength to make it through this horrific ordeal!
A true admirer.
All You Out There Collect Some Money For pidyon shveim
I’m so sick of the people on this board always taking the side of ra, of evil. Those who want to protect the abusers, those who want those involved in the above case to go free (after all, it’s only about money right? Just a business affair, and as we all know, the laws of parshas mishpatim, for example, don’t really mean much anyway, right?)
whats the status on kasirer now?
“Prosecutors have expanded their investigation to include more than 100 individuals who were contributors to Spinka organizations”
This sentence should worry us more then all the above points made in all of your comments.
Nobody says that the guys working for the tax authorities or for the government or the judges themselves are zaddikim. Surely there are enough goym who withhold income tax. But as we all know, the greater madrejgo the jid is on, the bigger the chillul hashem is that comes out of his actions. The more careful a rebbe has to be, because he should show a good example to his Chassidim and not show them how to deceive the state’s chukkim !
A crime is a crime. Nobody is grieving and crying when some goy swindles the government. However, this so-called rebbe had all the influence and power to stop these shenanigans, why didn’t he stop it? What spineless guy. I will never protect a person who uses the trust of businessmen and to his advantage and then let’s them take the fall. What a week guy! And he has the nerve to prance around as a rebbe! He should have been the moral compass in this situation and put a stop to it. I say let the so-called rebbe rot in jail for many years to come. Amen.
Reading many of the above posts has infuriated me. Mr. Hager has come forward, admitting a mistake, one which many others (apparently) haven’t had the courage to admit, and has had the horrible misfortune of having an uncompationate judge sentance him to 6 months in a federal prison.
To those who refer to the “chilul hashem”, no doubt this episode has been a tremendous chilul hashem, one that everyone involved regrets terribly. To set the record straight: for all those who claim that he “moiser” did the right thing, you are obviously misinformed. He has wreaked havoc on the lives of tens of yidden and their families, due to his selfish needs to save his skin from punishment for much more serious crimes.
All those who have commented about stealing from the goverment, you are right. But are you truly in a position to criticize? Have you ever swiped your business card at a private dinner, or marked your gas as a business deduction when it was used (even in part) for leasure? I bet you have, or something similar. And, to tell you the truth, most probably the proportion of your false deduction to your total return is not much different than Mr. Hager’s false deduction to his total return. To all of you who talk about robbing the “klal” — please consider that minimal research will show that Mr. Hager has paid many millions in taxes in the last 5 years. Have you contributed that much to the “klal”?
And what about his real contributions? Some of the above posters have mentioned, his tzedokos don’t need any pirsum. Los Angeles boast at least 4 major yeshivas and day schools that owe their campuses (at least in a major part) to Mr. Hager. Israel is no different. I just recently was on a trip to Yerushalayim, and visited a shul in Sanhedria Murchevet, I noticed the name Hager on the Aron Kodesh. I inquired and found out that Mr. Hager had been in the shul for a visit, and decided to donate it, unsolicited. And believe me, thats not an isolated incident.
So posters, please, inform yourselves before you talk.