Levi Deutsch, an Israeli citizen born in Brooklyn, N.Y., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for conspiring to launder $200,000 in funds that he believed were the proceeds of unlawful activities, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Deutsch, 35, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joel A. Pisano to an Information charging him with money laundering conspiracy. Judge Pisano imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Deutsch admitted that in March 2009, he was introduced to Solomon Dwek, who was a cooperating witness with the United States. The introduction was made by Rabbi Mordchai Fish, 59, of Brooklyn. For a fee of approximately 10 percent to be split between Deutsch and Fish, Deutsch agreed to launder and conceal Dwek’s funds through a charity, also known as a “gemach,” to which Deutsch had access. Deutsch admitted that Dwek informed him, prior to laundering the funds, that they were the proceeds of Dwek’s illegal business in trafficking counterfeit designer handbags.
In order to hide the source of the money, Fish or Deutsch directed Dwek to make the checks payable to the gemach known as Boyoner Gemilas Chesed (BGC) – purportedly dedicated to providing charitable donations to needy individuals. On two occasions in May 2009, Dwek provided checks made payable to BGC in the amount of $100,000 each. On each occasion, Dwek retrieved large sums of cash, totaling $90,000 or more, from Binyomin Spira, 31, of Spring Valley, N.Y., who operated an unlicensed money transmitting business out of an apartment and a bakery in Brooklyn. On the first occasion, Dwek accompanied Fish and Deutsch to the bakery. On the second occasion, Deutsch orchestrated the transaction by phone without Fish’s knowledge, and directed Dwek to meet Spira at the bakery. Once Spira had the check, he gave it to another co-conspirator who deposited it into a bank account held in the name of BGC.
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