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NEWARK, N.J. (WPIX) - Over 40 people, including three New Jersey mayors, were arrested Thursday morning in what is being described as a massive 10-year international money laundering and corruption investigation called "Big Rig."
According to the U.S. Attorney's office in Newark, the suspects are said to be involved the large-scale dual-track investigation: the transferring of money between groups in Deal, Long Branch and Elberton and Brooklyn by individuals relating to the Syrian enclave; and political bid-rigging by bribe-accepting public officials.
A total of 44 people were arrested stated Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Ralph Marra during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark. Twenty-nine individuals were taken into custody for pervasive actions and 15 individuals were taken in by the FBI and IRS for their connection in money laundering rings. At least one dozen rabbis were arrested Thursday, including the Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish Church for the United States.
PHOTOS: PROMINENT FIGURES ARRESTED IN NJ CORRUPTION PROBE
Rabbi Levy-Izhak Rosenbaum, known as the "kidney salesman," would target vulerable individuals in need of money by convincing them to give him their kidney in exchange for $10,000. That rabbi would in turn sell the kidneys for $160,000 on the black market.
A few rabbis also laundered money from their congregation under the guise of a charity. Members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, FBI and IRS removed several boxes containing evidence from the Deal Yeshiva, a prestigious religious school, and the Ohel Yaacob Synagogue.
Also among those arrested were several "middlemen," but also prominent community leaders including Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III, Secaucus Mayor Denis Elwell, Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez, Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt, Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Baldini and Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox set bail in an initial hearing for 12 people charged in the scandal, setting bail that ranged from $100,000 to $500,000 in secured and unsecured bonds.
Suarez and Cammarano posted $100,000 bail and were released from jail. Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell was also released on $100,000 bail.
Marra said the service of a cooperating witness helped investigators in their 10-year probe. That individual was able to identify meeting locations, including bathrooms and basement boiler rooms, and record the suspects saying incriminating things. For example, according to Mara, on May 19 Hoboken Mayor Cammarano said to the cooperating witness that he "could be indicted." Later, the mayor accepted thousands of dollars from the the cooperating witness and said they would be "good friends for a long time."
PHOTOS: PROMINENT FIGURES ARRESTED IN NJ CORRUPTION PROBE
The FBI's cooperating witness was described as someone who was "charged in a federal criminal complaint with bank fraud in or about May 2006." There is suspicion that this informant is Solomon Dwek, 36, son of Rabbi Issac Dwek, who founded the Deal Yeshiva, a prestigious religious school. According to Marra, he was involved in "real estate deals gone bad," specifically, bribing public officials so his paperwork could go through. In 2007, Dwek resigned from his post as on the Yeshiva's board of trustees after he was arrested for bank fraud charges relating to a bounced check for $25 million.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun said the scope of the money laundering and corpution ring was "unprecedented" in the combination of individuals' prominence and broad variety of offences. He also said since the "Big Rig" inception in July 1999, their investigation has lead to two high-profile, widely reported cases and the arrest of 48 people.
Thursday morning at 6am, more than 300 FBI agents went to 54 locations to make arrests. Soon afterwards, a parade of cars and several people, including Cammarano, Elwell and Vega were led into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Newark office where they were processed and later bussed to court where they are due for arraignment at 2 p.m.
Cammarano, 32, was elected into Hoboken's mayoral office in June, and inaugurated just three weeks ago on July 1, after being the Hoboken City Councilman-at-Large. He was an attorney for the law firm Genova, Burns & Vernoia.
Van Pelt, 44, has been an assemblyman in Ocean Township since 1988.
Elwell, 64, has been the Secaucus mayor and council member for over 20 years. He is up for re-election and his slate recently won the democratic primary in June.
Reports say that several of those arrested were in attendance at an important fundraiser in Essex County about two months ago.
According to the Associated Press, "U.S. Treasury officials say more than half of all the suspicious financial transaction reports filed by New Jersey banks over a 12-year period ending in 2008 involved money laundering."
According to the U.S. Attorney's office in Newark, the suspects are said to be involved the large-scale dual-track investigation: the transferring of money between groups in Deal, Long Branch and Elberton and Brooklyn by individuals relating to the Syrian enclave; and political bid-rigging by bribe-accepting public officials.
A total of 44 people were arrested stated Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Ralph Marra during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark. Twenty-nine individuals were taken into custody for pervasive actions and 15 individuals were taken in by the FBI and IRS for their connection in money laundering rings. At least one dozen rabbis were arrested Thursday, including the Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish Church for the United States.
PHOTOS: PROMINENT FIGURES ARRESTED IN NJ CORRUPTION PROBE
Rabbi Levy-Izhak Rosenbaum, known as the "kidney salesman," would target vulerable individuals in need of money by convincing them to give him their kidney in exchange for $10,000. That rabbi would in turn sell the kidneys for $160,000 on the black market.
A few rabbis also laundered money from their congregation under the guise of a charity. Members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, FBI and IRS removed several boxes containing evidence from the Deal Yeshiva, a prestigious religious school, and the Ohel Yaacob Synagogue.
Also among those arrested were several "middlemen," but also prominent community leaders including Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III, Secaucus Mayor Denis Elwell, Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez, Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt, Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Baldini and Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox set bail in an initial hearing for 12 people charged in the scandal, setting bail that ranged from $100,000 to $500,000 in secured and unsecured bonds.
Suarez and Cammarano posted $100,000 bail and were released from jail. Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell was also released on $100,000 bail.
Marra said the service of a cooperating witness helped investigators in their 10-year probe. That individual was able to identify meeting locations, including bathrooms and basement boiler rooms, and record the suspects saying incriminating things. For example, according to Mara, on May 19 Hoboken Mayor Cammarano said to the cooperating witness that he "could be indicted." Later, the mayor accepted thousands of dollars from the the cooperating witness and said they would be "good friends for a long time."
PHOTOS: PROMINENT FIGURES ARRESTED IN NJ CORRUPTION PROBE
The FBI's cooperating witness was described as someone who was "charged in a federal criminal complaint with bank fraud in or about May 2006." There is suspicion that this informant is Solomon Dwek, 36, son of Rabbi Issac Dwek, who founded the Deal Yeshiva, a prestigious religious school. According to Marra, he was involved in "real estate deals gone bad," specifically, bribing public officials so his paperwork could go through. In 2007, Dwek resigned from his post as on the Yeshiva's board of trustees after he was arrested for bank fraud charges relating to a bounced check for $25 million.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Weysan Dun said the scope of the money laundering and corpution ring was "unprecedented" in the combination of individuals' prominence and broad variety of offences. He also said since the "Big Rig" inception in July 1999, their investigation has lead to two high-profile, widely reported cases and the arrest of 48 people.
Thursday morning at 6am, more than 300 FBI agents went to 54 locations to make arrests. Soon afterwards, a parade of cars and several people, including Cammarano, Elwell and Vega were led into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Newark office where they were processed and later bussed to court where they are due for arraignment at 2 p.m.
Cammarano, 32, was elected into Hoboken's mayoral office in June, and inaugurated just three weeks ago on July 1, after being the Hoboken City Councilman-at-Large. He was an attorney for the law firm Genova, Burns & Vernoia.
Van Pelt, 44, has been an assemblyman in Ocean Township since 1988.
Elwell, 64, has been the Secaucus mayor and council member for over 20 years. He is up for re-election and his slate recently won the democratic primary in June.
Reports say that several of those arrested were in attendance at an important fundraiser in Essex County about two months ago.
According to the Associated Press, "U.S. Treasury officials say more than half of all the suspicious financial transaction reports filed by New Jersey banks over a 12-year period ending in 2008 involved money laundering."
