Lawyer Steals Holocaust Survivors' Reparations

Last update – 23:39 16/02/2009
Lawyer guilty of Holocaust money fraud suspected of trying to flee Israel

By Hila Raz, Haaretz Correspondent
Attorney Yisrael Perry, whose conviction for defrauding Holocaust survivors of nearly NIS 1 billion was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this month, was detained on Monday by police on suspicion of planning to flee the country. Perry was arrested in the Tel Aviv area. Justice Ministry lawyers are preparing a request to have him begin his prison sentence immediately.
About 10 days ago the Supreme Court upheld Perry’s conviction but reduced his prison sentence from 12 to 10 years. Perry and an organization he founded were convicted in
October 2007 by the Tel Aviv District Court of various theft and fraud charges for embezzling DM 320 million worth of insurance premiums from Israelis who claimed German retirement benefits.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and a fine of about NIS 21 million. In his appeal, Perry argued that factual errors were made by the court and that the sentence was too harsh.
The Supreme Court ordered Perry’s sentence to begin on March 8 and ordered him to report to a local police station twice a week in the intervening period. According to his attorney, Yaakov Weinroth, Perry was arrested on Monday when he reported to the Bat Yam police station as usual.

Taming response:
How low can you go? Which is worse-this or what the Germans did themselves?  At Yeshiva I remember a student once said critically about Zionism that if all Jews were in one country, they would “feed on one another.”  Being a convert, I didn’t understand that at the time, but I sure do now.