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Lakewood Couple Sentenced for Kidnapping and Forcing Jewish Divorce
A husband and wife from Lakewood, New Jersey, have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to kidnap a Jewish man and force him to give his wife a religious divorce, known as a ‘get.’
David Wax, 53, was sentenced to 84 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy to commit kidnapping. His wife, Judy Wax, 51, was sentenced to two years of probation for her role in misprision of a felony.
According to documents filed in the case, David Wax admitted that in October 2010, he and his conspirators agreed to force a Jewish man to give his wife a get, a document which, according to Jewish law, must be presented by a husband to his wife to effect their divorce.
On October 17, 2010, David Wax lured the victim from Brooklyn, New York, to his home in Lakewood under the pretense that the victim would work on Talmudic books that David Wax was publishing. When the victim arrived, he was brought upstairs, blindfolded, handcuffed and bound. The victim was then assaulted by Wax and his conspirators until he provided the get.
Judy Wax admitted that she and her husband later replaced a blood-soaked carpet in their home in order to conceal the kidnapping. She also admitted to knowingly failing to notify the authorities of the kidnapping.
The family of the victim’s wife paid David Wax approximately $100,000 to obtain the forced get. His conspirators received approximately $50,000.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel in Newark, with the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Joseph Gribko and Sarah Wolfe of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Trenton.
Defense counsel for David Wax included Mitchell J. Ansell Esq. of Ocean and Edward Dauber Esq. of Newark, New Jersey. Judy Wax’s defense counsel was Steven Secare Esq. of Toms River, New Jersey.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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