Former Chief of Jewish Charity Was Stealing From the Start, Prosecutors Say

[oberliner]

Source: New York Times

Shortly after William E. Rapfogel became the leader of one of New York City’s most influential social service organizations in 1992, prosecutors say, he began to steal.

He received envelope after envelope, stuffed with skimmed cash kickbacks, according to a criminal complaint filed on Tuesday. Also cited were a $27,000 check written to a contractor working on his apartment, roughly $100,000 to help his son buy a home, and a campaign finance scheme that manipulated the city’s matching-funds formula, fraudulently increasing campaign contributions to favored city politicians who provided government grants to his organization.

Over two decades at the nonprofit Metropolitan New York Council on Jewish Poverty, Mr. Rapfogel and two confederates stole more than $5 million, much of it taxpayer money, said the complaint, which detailed the schemes and charged Mr. Rapfogel with grand larceny, money laundering and other crimes.

Some of the money went to the co-conspirators, who were not named in the complaint; some of it was directed to politicians and political organizations. Mr. Rapfogel, a man whose deeds and connections made his name almost synonymous with the city’s Jewish philanthropic causes, was accused of keeping more than $1 million for himself.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/nyregion/charitys-fired-chief-is-charged-with-stealing-millions.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0

[Demeter]

1. "God helps those who help themselves"....he took it literally!

[FiveGoodMen]

14. That's the only way it works.

[adirondacker]

2. Obviously, Mr Rapfogel was just looking for a job on Wall Street. Unfortunatley stealing a paltry

million and change ain't gonna cut it. Hint; aim for numbers that start with B if you wanna go Big!

[Behind the Aegis]

3. I am sure this will get some good play.

I doubt he will ever see jail, but I hope he does. Punches have been beat.

[1000words]

4. Agree

About the jail time

[kelliekat44]

5. Why won't he go to jail? nt

[Behind the Aegis]

6. Financial crimes seem to go unpunished (as far as jail is concerned).

If there is jail time, it will likely be a "country club" and a minimum sentence.

[groundloop]

7. "Victimless" Crime

He didn't really hurt anyone.

[oberliner]

10. I think he will get jail time

1-3 years might be all he ends up with - but I do think he does some time.

[oberliner]

8. Twitter Update: Rapfogel arraigned

Rapfogel officially arraigned -- accused of grand larceny, money laundering, conspiracy etc. Posting 100 grand cash bail

https://twitter.com/courtneycgross

[JI7]

9. stealing money people donated for the poor

[oberliner]

11. Really despicable

I certainly hope justice is served.

[choie]

12. What makes this even more disgusting

is that I know, because I have colleagues who work there, that social workers at Met Council earn approximately $30,000. We are talking people with a Masters degree...and the Executive Director gets $400,000 a year and still steals from the agency while he pays the people who do the tough work on the ground barely a living wage???? What a piece of shit.

[oberliner]

13. How does someone live in NYC making $30,000?

That must be very challenging.