Money Laundering Goes Global
Another scheme foiled, this one in Israel


There’s money laundering in New Jersey, there’s money laundering in Los Angeles, and, court documents filed yesterday reveal, there’s another alleged money-laundering scheme that stretches from Chicago to Tel Aviv and defrauded U.S. tax authorities of more than $35 million. The cabal’s ringleader, 62-year-old Marvin Berkowitz, fled the United States for Israel in 2003 and settled in Jerusalem. Together with his sons and other American accomplices, he is suspected of stealing the identities of about 3,300 federal prisoners and then fraudulently filing for tax refunds on their behalf. The money would then be laundered through Israeli bank accounts. And they say Israeli-American relations are on the rocks.
New U.S.-Israeli Crime Ring Detailed [NYT]
Related: Holy Land Gangland [Tablet]