A Lakewood, New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to kidnap a Jewish man to force him to give his wife a religious divorce, known as a ‘get.’
David Wax, 51, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, in October 2010, Wax and his conspirators agreed to force a Jewish man (Victim One) 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.
Wax then lured Victim One from Brooklyn, New York, to Wax’s home in Lakewood on October 17, 2010, under the pretense that Victim One would work on Talmudic books that Wax was publishing.
When the victim arrived, he was brought upstairs, blindfolded, handcuffed, and bound. Victim One was then assaulted by Wax and his conspirators until he provided the get.
Victim One’s wife’s family paid Wax approximately $100,000 to obtain the forced get. Wax’s conspirators received approximately $50,000.
The conspiracy to commit kidnapping charge carries a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 19, 2014.
Related Federal Cases
- David Wax, Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping, New Jersey 2010 · New Jersey
- Mendel Epstein, Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping, New Jersey 2013 · Illinois
- Oscar Avalos-Cortez, Conspiracy to Commit Hobbs Act Robbery, New Jersey 2015 · New Jersey
- James Hurt, Conspiracy to Commit Burglary, New York 2024 · New Hampshire
- Martin Wolmark, Extortion Conspiracy, New Jersey 2013 · New Jersey
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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