Spinka rabbi pleads guilty

August 4, 2009

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/08/04/1007016/spinka-rabbi-pleads-guilty

NEW YORK (JTA) -- A Chasidic rabbi pleaded guilty in an $8.5 million tax evasion scam.

Rabbi Naftali Tzi Weisz offered the plea Tuesday at a hearing in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, according to news reports. The 61-year-old, Brooklyn-based Spinka rabbi admitted using a charity to avoid paying federal taxes.

Four other Spinka community members also pleaded guilty on charges of fraud related to the charity.

Judge John Walter will sentence Weisz and his accomplices in November.