A Brooklyn man has admitted to traveling to New Jersey in order to coerce a Jewish man to give his wife a religious divorce through threats of violence.
David Hellman, 31, a personal trainer, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to an information charging him with traveling in interstate commerce to commit extortion. His bail conditions include a $500,000 bond and GPS monitoring.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, on October 9, 2013, Hellman and a group of conspirators traveled from New York to a warehouse in Edison, N.J., with the intent of forcing a Jewish man to give his wife a ‘get,’ a divorce document which, according to Jewish Law, must be presented by a husband to his wife to effect their divorce.
Hellman admitted that when he arrived at the warehouse, the group met with an individual who, unbeknownst to them, was an undercover FBI agent posing as the husband’s brother-in-law. Hellman admitted that they discussed a plan and prepared to confine, restrain, and threaten the victim.
The group was then arrested by a team of FBI agents and charged by criminal complaint – along with rabbis Mendel Epstein, 68, and Martin Wolmark, 55 – in connection with the scheme. Hellman is the first defendant to plead guilty; the charges against the alleged conspirators remain pending.
During his guilty plea proceeding, Hellman also admitted that on August 22, 2011, he and others went to a residence in Brooklyn where they restrained, assaulted, and injured a man in an attempt to extort a divorce from him. That conduct will be considered by the court during sentencing, currently scheduled for June 12, 2014.
Hellman faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
Related Federal Cases
- David Wax, Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping, New Jersey 2010 · New Jersey
- Martin Wolmark, Extortion Conspiracy, New Jersey 2013 · New Jersey
- Endrit Kllogjeri, Hobbs Act Extortion, New Jersey 2019 · Illinois
- Yoel Oberlander, Assault with Intent to Commit Stalking, New Jersey 2016 · New Jersey
- Oscar Avalos-Cortez, Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery, New Jersey 2015 · New Jersey
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Violent CrimeViolent CrimeViolent CrimeViolent Crime