Apple Jacks, Prada, And Kidney Trafficking: Taking Stock Of The New Jersey Arrests
At 6am last Thursday, more than 200 FBI and IRS agents fanned out across the state of New Jersey, as part of that corruption and money-laundering probe that ended up netting 44 people, including mayors, rabbis, and a state lawmaker.
Now that the dust has settled, it’s worth taking a look at the whole sprawling operation.
The story (sub. req.) starts with a 36-year-old real-estate investor and philanthropist named Solomon Dwek. Dwek, a member of the tight-knit Syrian-Jewish community of Deal, New Jersey, used family connections — his father is a prominent local rabbi — to win investors’ trust and build a real-estate fortune whose value at one time approached $500 million.
But at some point, Dwek appears to have taken out more loans than he could pay back. In 2006, in an effort to pay back his creditors, he allegedly deposited a $25 million check at PNC Bank, which was not backed by funds. He was charged with defrauding the bank out of $25 million.
Malalai Joya: The big lie of Afghanistan
Posted in Afghanistan, Commentary, war, tagged Afghan casualties, Afghanistan, assassination attempts, British casualties, elections, expanding the war, Malalai Joya, NATO, Obama and more troops, Peace, United States policies, war in Afghanistan, warlords in Karzai government on July 27, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Inquiries into the 954 deaths in police custody since 1990 have all proved fruitless – and then this historic case comes along
In 2005, I was the youngest person elected to the new Afghan parliament. Women like me, running for office, were held up as an example of how the war in Afghanistan had liberated women. But this democracy was a facade, and the so-called liberation a big lie.
On behalf of the long-suffering people of my country, I offer my heartfelt condolences to all in the UK who have lost their loved ones on the soil of Afghanistan. We share the grief of the mothers, fathers, wives, sons and daughters of the fallen. It is my view that these British casualties, like the many thousands of Afghan civilian dead, are victims of the unjust policies that the Nato countries have pursued under the leadership of the US government.
Continued >>
Share this:
Like this:
Read Full Post »