L’information originale sur les soit-disant « rabbins trafiquants d’organes ». On remarquera que le journaliste (un journaliste professionnel) prend soin d’écrire « alledgedly » (présumé) devant les accusations et que l’escroc n’est pas rabbin mais promoteur immobilier et vice président d’une école juive :

Cooperating witness Solomon Dwek emerges as cornerstone of N.J. corruption stingby Joe Ryan and Maryann Spoto/The Star-Ledger Thursday July 23, 2009, 8:08 PM

 As a real estate mogul, Solomon Dwek was a colossal failure. But when the soft-spoken Deal businessman started wearing a wire for the FBI, he became the star of one of the largest and most complex corruption stings in New Jersey history.

For years, Dwek was best known as the portly son of a prominent Jewish family who disgraced his community when he got caught allegedly trying to pull off a $50 million bank scam. Today, law enforcement sources confirmed Dwek has secretly been serving as « CW, » a charismatic informant who was somehow able to span the incongruous worlds of Jewish rabbis and Hudson County politicians. AP/Asbury Park Press, Thomas P. CostelloReal estate developer Solomon Dwek, right,and his lawyer, Michael B. Himmel, are shown outside the Federal Courthouse in Newark in May 2006.

With nothing but a wire and a talent for getting close to power, Dwek was allegedly able to ensnare 44 public officials and religious leaders in a massive web of money laundering, corruption and fraud. Full Star-Ledger coverage of the New Jersey corruption arrests

« One person was able to deal with all these people, » Ralph J. Marra, the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said during a press conference announcing the arrests.

Marra and investigators who oversaw the probe declined to name the informant. But sources with knowledge of the investigation confirmed the witness is Dwek, the 36-year-old son of Rabbi Isaac Dwek, a leader in the Sephardic Jewish community and head of the Synagogue of Deal.

In court papers, Dwek is identified as a cooperating witness, or the « CW, » who used his connections as a Monmouth County real estate developer to meet with dozens of politicians, public officials and rabbis.

Authorities said it was mid-level public operatives — including Edward Cheatam, the affirmative action officer for Hudson County, and Ronald Manzo, brother of former Assemblyman Louis Manzo— who introduced « CW » to elected officials.

« The (informant) would meet them in parking lots, in luncheonettes, diners, offices, basement boiler rooms and bathrooms, and the politicians willingly put themselves up for sale, » Marra said.

Outside court today, several of the attorneys and supporters of the arrested politicians and rabbis called Dwek a quiet and deceptively charming man who used his connections to turn on his friends after he got in trouble with the law.

« Our belief is that Mr. Dwek used his closeness and the sterling reputation of his family to manipulate individuals who trusted that he never would have involved them into criminal activity, » said Michael Bachner, an attorney for Mordchai Fish, a rabbi at Congregation Sheves Achim in Brooklyn.

While law enforcement officials were rounding up the targets of the sting today, Dwek was nowhere to be found.

His tan-colored ranch house in Deal was quiet. Though two Lexus sedans were in the driveway, a woman who answered the door said the family was not home.

Neighbors on the tree-lined street said they had seen Dwek and his children in recent weeks. But there was no hint the father of five was secretly working as an informant.

Dwek and his wife, Pearl, had been prominent members of Deal’s tight-knit Jewish community. Dwek was known as a budding real estate mogul who snatched up more than 200 properties in central New Jersey. He served as vice president and chief executive of a Jewish school, the Deal Yeshiva. He was also known as a generous philanthropist and a prolific donor to political campaigns.

In 2006, his reputation crumbled when he was accused of depositing a bogus $25 million check at the PNC Bank in Eatontown. He later allegedly tried to deposit a second $25 million check at a different PNC branch before employees caught him.

He was charged with bank fraud and faced a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, federal officials said.

With his stunned family in the courtroom, Dwek appeared in court with his feet shackled and his hands cuffed behind his back. Federal marshals had taken his belt after his arrest, so Dwek was left to plead not guilty in court while clumsily tugging at his pants to try to keep them from falling down.

Charles Stanziale, the Newark attorney who represents the company in the bankruptcy proceedings, called Dwek « an extremely intelligent man who has a phenomenal memory. »

Although millions of dollars flowed through Dwek, he was neither flashy nor a braggart, Stanziale said.

« He lived rather modestly, relatively speaking. No fancy, fancy cars. He certainly wasn’t a fashion plate, » Stanziale said.

He said Dwek often wore jeans and white short-sleeve shirts that looked like they came from discount big-box stores.

"He was not a guy who lived in comparison to the way (disgraced financier Bernie) Madoff lived,’’ Stanziale said.

The amount of money and property involved in Dwek’s fraud case was so complex the court appointed Freehold attorney Donald Lomurro to help sort out his business matters.

Lomurro said he met Dwek at least once a week from May 2006 to January 2007 in his efforts to untangle the financial mess. Sometimes Dwek showed up without his attorney, even though he knew it could expose him to legal jeopardy.

"As a resource, Solomon had tremendous information which he shared freely with me,’’ Lomurro said.

In the months after his arrest, Dwek began serving as an FBI informant while free on bail, according to sources close to the investigation.

He began meeting with rabbis and other figures in an international money ring that allegedly laundered tens of millions of dollars through Jewish charities and non-profit organizations in New York and New Jersey. Over two years, he was allegedly able to launder more than $3 million by posing as businessman trying to conceal criminal proceeds.

 In a separate operation, Dwek and a female FBI agent posed as a businessman and his secretary when they met with an alleged human organ trafficker in Brooklyn. Dwek made a $160,000 deal with the broker to find a donor in Israel willing to donate a kidney to his secretary’s critically ill fictitious uncle.

 In June 2007, Dwek also began meeting with Hudson County public officials. This time he posed as a developer willing to pass along bribes to get properties built in Jersey City and other areas.

According to court papers, Dwek skillfully passed bribes along to public officials.

While allegedly talking about a $10,000 payment to Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt (R-Ocean), Dwek joked he was neither a Democrat nor a Republican, according to the criminal complaint.

Instead, Dwek said he was a member of the « green » party.

« Green is cash, » he said.

Staff writers Kelly Heyboer and Brian T. Murray contributed to this report.