Brother of ex-Poway synagogue leader pleads guilty in fraud scheme
The brother of former Chabad of Poway Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to evading taxes by hiding $700,000 in a bank account controlled by the organization, a sign that the stunning fraud case unveiled in July against the religious leader is not over.
Mendel Goldstein, 63, owner of a videography business in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges. He entered his plea in front of U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant in San Diego Monday afternoon.
Prosecutors said he worked with his brother from 2012 to 2018 to conceal more than $700,000 in income from the Internal Revenue Service and avoid paying $155,881 in taxes.
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein pleaded guilty July 14 to federal wire fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from a years-long multi-million dollar series of schemes that included tax evasion, ripping off government emergency relief programs and defrauding grant programs.
Read more: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/pomerado-news/news/story/2020-09-14/brother-of-ex-poway-synagogue-leader-pleads-guilty-in-fraud-scheme