Yaakov Weingarten (Source: vosizneias.com)

A Brooklyn Supreme Court judge ordered Midwood Rabbi Yaakov Weingarten and his wife, Rivka, to pay more than $520,000 for setting up phony not-for-profit organizations claiming to benefit Israel and then using the donations as their personal piggy bank.

The Weingartens were busted last summer, accused of operating a call center out of 1493 Coney Island Avenue in Midwood to raise millions of dollars through 19 separate charities. The scammers claimed the funds would go to programs in Israel or to religious activities. But prosecutors say the charities never existed, and the funds instead went to Weingarten and his family.

Weingarten, 53, withdrew more than $2 million from the charity bank accounts between 2007 and 2013, prosecutors said. They used the funds to pay for mortgages on their two homes, remodeiling expenses, personal vehicles, video rentals, dental visits and even a trip to Borgata Casino in Atlantic City. They attempted to hide their shenanigans by transferring funds between the non-profit accounts. It appears the setup was too difficult for even the Weingartens to keep track of; they bounced more than 2,100 checks, resulting in more than $65,000 in donations being wasted on bank overdraft fees.

On Wednesday, the judge ordered the Weingartens to forfeit $522,315 as part of a civil judgement. Approximately $360,000 of those funds will go to two Israeli charitable organizations that carry out actual programs similar to the ones Weingarten claimed during his phony fundraising pitches to donors: the Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, the preeminent pediatric hospital in Israel, and United Hatzalah of Israel, a leading Israeli volunteer emergency medical services organization.

Weingarten previously pleaded guilty to felony tax fraud, allowing him to escape time behind bars. However, he and his associates, Simon Weiss and David Yifat, are barred from any fundraising or charitable activites in the state of New York. He also faces five years probation, and has already paid $90,685 in restitution as part of the criminal charges.

The judge ordered the dissolution of 11 actual non-profits used by Weingarten, as well as eight that existed in name only. They are as follows:

• Hatzalah Rescue of Israel, Inc.;
• Shearim, Inc.;
• Bnei Torah, Inc.;
• Chesed L’Yisrael V’Chasdei Yosef, Inc.;
• Yad L’Shabbat, Inc.;
• Hatzalah Shomron, Inc.;
• Pulse Foundation, Inc.;
• Agudath Chesed Bikur Cholim Israel, Inc.;
• Kupat Reb Meir Baal Haness Bnei Torah Eretz Yisrael, Inc.;
• Congregation Yad L’Shabbat, Inc.;
• Shearim Hayad L’Torah Center for Hatzalah L’Shabbat and Chesed L’Yisrael, Inc.;
• Israel Emergency Center;
• Magen Israel;
• Hayad Victim Assistance Fund;
• Lmaan Hatorah;
• Our Children;
• Zaka Israel;
• Yaldel Simcha Yisrael;
• Yad Yisrael.

“We are committed to fighting to protect everyday New Yorkers, particularly those who want to use some of their hard-earned money to support charitable causes, because there has to be one set of rules for everyone,” Attorney General Schneiderman said via press release. “My office will use all the tools at our disposal to protect New Yorkers from unscrupulous fundraisers for sham charities.”

Bay View Houses (Source: Google Maps)

Lawrence Walden, 27, was found shot in the head last night outside of Coney Island’s Bay View Houses, across from Kaiser Park.

Police were called to 3112 Bay View Avenue at approximately 9:30 p.m. Thursday after being tipped off to an assault. They arrived to find Walden sprawled across the housing project’s walkway. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the head.

Unresponsive and unconscious, EMS rushed Walden to Coney Island Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

No arrests were made, and the investigation is ongoing.

Walden’s listed address, according to police, is on Howard Avenue on the Crown Heights – Brownsville border.

As of June 29, the 60th Precinct, which covers Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Gravesend, has seen nine shooting incidents in 2014, with 11 victims. It’s a decrease from this time last year, when the precinct saw 13 incidents with 18 victims.

The Midwood building where Hussein beat his wife to death. (Source: Google Maps)

Noor Hussein, 75, was sentenced yesterday to 18 years to life for beating his 66-year-old wife to death in their Midwood home in 2011 after she cooked him the wrong meal.

Hussein was convicted of second degree murder last month, when a jury found him guilty of viciously beating his wife Nazar as she lay in bed, most likely asleep. The assault caused massive head trauma that led to a fatal brain hemorrhage, according to expert testimony during the trial. The medical examiner determined she had been struck more than 20 times.

When he was arrested, Hussein told police that he “disciplined” his wife earlier in the night because she cooked a meal that wasn’t to his satisfaction, but that she went to bed unharmed. Neighbors, however, testified that they had witnessed Hussein abuse his wife for years.

“This defendant viciously attacked his wife as she lay in bed, unable to defend herself. The judge has spoken and now the defendant has been held accountable for this brutal and cowardly act,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson in a press release.

Are you a victim of domestic violence, or believe you have friends, family or neighbors who may be? The Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence has a number of resources to assist victims. Get help now.

The MTA is warning E-ZPass users of a new e-mail phishing scam that has surfaced, in which digital con artists attempt to get at your private data by warning of phony unpaid tolls.

Phishing scams attempt to dupe users to send the scammer sensitive information, including usernames, passwords or banking information by masquerading as a trustworthy entity.

Scam artists are sending out official looking e-mails carrying the E-ZPass logo, often from an e-mail account that appears to be connected to the service. A screenshot of the e-mail is shown above, stating that the user has not paid for driving on a toll road and that previous invoices have not been responded to. It provides a link to download the invoice.

In reality, the E-ZPass Service Center does not send out e-mail invoices for payments. All bills are sent through the United States Postal Service. The e-mails are not authorized by E-ZPass, MTA Bridges and Tunnels or any other toll agency associated with the service.

The agency is advising customers not to open or respond such e-mail, and instead send them straight to the trash bin. If you think you may have a legitimate e-mail from E-ZPass and want confirmation before opening it, you can call the E-ZPass New York Customer Service Center at (800) 333-8655.

Authorities are on the hunt for the man photographed above, who is a suspect in two commercial burglaries including the ransacking of an office within the Beth Israel Medical Center at 3131 Kings Highway.

The man allegedly broke into two offices over the span of three nights in June, stealing roughly $60,000 in cash, equipment and other valuables.

Cops say the suspect waited until after closing to break into the Kings Highway medical center on Monday, June 23. He entered the property at approximately 6:05 pm., swiping a laptop and $160 in cash.

Just two days earlier, on June 21, the same man is believe to have broken into Glenwood Road Dental, at 5520 Glenwood Road in Flatlands. He made off with approximately $58,600 worth of dentistry equipment in that heist.

The suspect is described as a black male with long black braids and dark facial hair.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

Holy snatch-and-split, Batman!

A man donning the famed crime fighter’s insignia made a not-so-daring escape after snatching an unattended bag from McDonald’s in Coney Island last month.

Now police are on the hunt for the unmasked man, releasing the photo above captured by the 606 Neptune Avenue fast food chain’s surveillance video.

According to authorities, the victim left his personal bag on the counter of the restaurant on June 5. The Batman wannabe grabbed the bag and fled to the street, making off with credit cards, checks and other personal items. No one was injured, other than the reputation of a true, if often misunderstood, superhero.

The suspect is described as a male, approximately 40 years old, with black hair, a partially bald head and a medium complexion.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

The suspected gunman in Coney Island. (Source: NYPD)

A 10-year-old boy and 25-year-old man were injured by stray bullets after an unidentified man opened fire on Mermaid Avenue near West 23rd Street on Saturday.

The two were among at least 21 people shot across all five boroughs in a shockingly violent weekend that left four people dead and 17 injured. Nine were victims of shootings that took place in Brooklyn.

Police responded to the Coney Island incident at 7:30 p.m., finding the boy shot in the knee and the man in the arm. They were both treated at Lutheran Hospital and expect a full recovery. The two did not know each other.

Police are now searching for a man they believe to be the shooter, who was captured on nearby surveillance cameras wearing a yellow t-shirt, yellow shorts, white sneakers and a multi-colored hat.

The 10-year-old is identified by the Daily News as Eddie Abdelrahaman. The paper caught up with the boy and his father:

When Kamal Ismail, 51, heard a string of gunshots outside his Coney Island home, he immediately did a head count for his children. All but one of his six kids, 10-year-old Eddie Abdelrahaman, was in the house.

“My heart went down, like I was having a heart attack,” Ismail said Sunday.

His son was grazed in the thigh when the barrage of gunfire erupted at 7:20 p.m. Sunday.

“It just stinged a little bit. It didn’t hurt,” said Eddie, who’s out of school for summer vacation and was going into a store on 24th St. and Mermaid Ave. to get juice with two friends when bullets went flying.

“Whenever we heard the first shot, everyone got on the floor and ducked,” he said, “When we heard it, we thought it was fireworks.”

Ismail said he is constantly concerned about violence in Coney Island.

ABC News helps put the shootings in context:

It marks the third time in June that at least a dozen people were shot over a weekend. But police commissioner William Bratton says the number of shootings is actually lower than this time last year, and that 1,200 additional officers will be hitting the streets this week.

They include 600 new officers who are graduating Monday from the Police Academy. They will be partnered with veteran officers and sent out to target the most violent, crime-ridden neighborhoods in the city.

Two other shootings took place nearby over the bloody weekend, including one in Flatlands on Avenue J and another in Flatbush on Church Avenue.

Photo of the crime scene this morning (Photo by Evelina G.)

A man was stabbed to death early this morning on Brighton 4th Street and Brighton Beach Avenue, police say.

Authorities were called to the scene at 2:17 a.m., arriving to find an unidentified male, unconscious and unresponsive in the street. As they went to give help, they found a stab wound in his torso.

EMS arrived and brought him to Coney Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

After investigating, police took two men in custody at approximately 8:00 a.m. this morning, and charges are pending. The investigation is still ongoing.

As of 10:00 a.m. the street was still closed off as a crime scene. Eastbound Brighton Beach Avenue is currently closed off to vehicular traffic between Brighton 4th Street and Brighton 6th Street.

Photo by Evelina G.

Photo by Mike G.

Source: Null Value via flickr

A 20-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the stomach at the Marlboro Houses (2250 West 11th Street) early this morning.

The man was exiting the elevator on the 16th floor of the building to visit his grandmother at approximately 1:40 a.m. when a gunman opened fire and put a bullet in his abdomen, police told this outlet.

The victim, whose identity was not released, was taken to Lutheran Hospital, where he remains in serious condition but is expected to survive.

Police do not yet have a suspect in the case, and are still investigating.

Marlboro Houses, like the majority of New York City Housing Authority developments, still do not have long-awaited security cameras. Earlier this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that work is finally underway on the $27 million installation of closed circuit cameras in 49 NYCHA developments, including the Marlboro Houses and Sheepshead – Nostrand Houses, and should be complete by the end of the year.

Captain John Chell. Photo by Erica Sherman

The next meeting of the Manhattan Beach Community Group (MBCG) will be Wednesday, May 21 at 8:00 p.m. inside Public School 195, 131 Irwin Street at Hampton Avenue.

Members and attendees will discuss the anti-Semitic graffiti that was discovered earlier this month on several properties on Exeter Street.

Guest speakers — Captain John Chell of the 61st Police Precinct and Alexander Gurevich, Esq., Office of the Brooklyn District Attorney — will talk about how the NYPD handles these crimes and what punishment is meted out to criminals involved.

There will additionally be updates on Traffic Committee proposals, Build it Back and NY Rising monies allocated to Manhattan Beach.

The meeting is taking place at the same time as a seminar by the Department of Finance about insurance issues (flier to come on this site shortly). For those concerned about missing one meeting or the other, MBCG said they have booked the DOF to attend their June meeting to go over many of the same issues.

The MBCG encourages members of the community to attend and participate in their monthly civic meetings. For more, contact MBCG at (718) 200-1845 or [email protected], or visit www.manhattanbeachbrooklyn.org.