FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)
Story By Jay Liner
The story you are about to read is true. There are no names changed to protect the innocent, because nobody involved in this gruesome tale is innocent. The picture you are looking at is that of Rabbi Levy Izhak Rosenbaum of Brooklyn, New York. He’s the big kahuna.
The story broke over this past weekend, amidst the Gates-Obama melodrama and the final sendoff of the governor of Alaska from her office. It was immediately implanted on the radar screen of every Jew who saw it both in this country and in Israel. This one, following in the wake of the Madoff fiasco, has shocked us and stunned our senses even more, if that’s possible.
Arrested were 44 people, including prominent politicians in New Jersey and five rabbis. The conspiracy traveled from Brooklyn, to Israel, to New Jersey and even alluded to Baltimore. Johns Hopkins Hospital got named as being contacted in furtherance of this criminal plot, on an MSNBC blog as part of the news frenzy associated with this affair. Hopkins’ response—and denial—will be included as part of this article later on.
Courtesy of my good friend Joe Roth, President and CEO of The Sharing Network, the New Jersey organ donor organization that is chartered by the federal government, I was the beneficiary of his insightful tutoring on the legitimate world of organ donations, and how the system is supposed to operate.
I won’t go into the whole process, but certain maxims apply and for the most part it works. The organ donation centers are all under the auspices of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in Richmond, Va. Local centers that perform transplants, such as Hopkins and University of Maryland Medical System, are members.
If you are in need of a transplant you can apply to a number of various centers. You usually are referred by your treating physician. The registration costs $395 per year and you can apply as many places as you want. There is a very diligent screening process for candidates with strict protocols regarding all aspects of the candidate’s health, including psychiatric testing. No other fees are associated with the transplant. Your health insurance is utilized.
In principle, the system was designed to be fair and equitable. Allocations are supposed to be based upon independent criteria established by the federal government to assure that the sick and needy are treated as equals and financial considerations of the recipient are not a determining factor.
The organs are harvested from the dead, or from brain-dead people who have either made their intentions known before their demise, or with permission from whoever has power of attorney. Before using the organs, they are thoroughly tested and examined to make sure that they are worthy and would be suitable for transplant. The Sharing Network has been chartered for 22 years. They get notified when an organ may be harvested and they then attempt to match the recipient from their database.
There was federal legislation passed called The National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 (NOTA)—George Orwell strikes again—which prohibited the selling and trafficking of organs. There are also live donors of organs, and usually those organs are considered to be superior to those harvested from the dead or brain-dead. They are, for the most part healthier, and are expected to survive longer in the recipient.
The investigation began with a typical political scandal alleging payoffs and favors that all of us have seen as rather commonplace. This investigation began in New Jersey, no big surprise. The worm, low-life, and snitch who got the goods for the FBI was named Solomon Dwek, a real estate developer from Jersey who got busted in 2006 for attempting to defraud PNC bank to the tune of $50,000,000. He is the son of a renowned and highly regarded rabbi named Isaac Dwek, who founded a yeshiva in Deal, New Jersey.
In 2006, Dwek deposited a bogus check in the amount of $25.2 million at a PNC drive-thru, then wired the money away shortly thereafter—leaving the bank high and dry. He then attempted to cash another check for $25 million the next day. After he was arrested and placed on bail, Dwek began doing the FBI’s bidding. You should also be aware that he was greatly revered in the Jewish community for his great philanthropy work.
He then commenced with making payoffs and bribes. Those nailed by his natural ability to work the system were the mayors of Secaucus and Hoboken (Old Blue Eyes’ hometown), and various deputy mayors, assemblymen and others. All Democrats, by the way. Then he set his sights on Rosenbaum for the Feds.
You should read the attached statement of the FBI agent in charge to digest the entirety of Rosenbaum’s culpability. I’ll attempt to summarize it, but honestly to get fully repulsed, read it yourself. The cooperating witness (Dwek) showed up on Rosenbaum’s doorstep in Flatbush with an FBI agent posing as his secretary, and after the proper introductions Dwek was vouched for by one of the prior purchasers.
The “secretary” weaved a tale that her uncle needed a kidney. Rosenbaum laid out the terms—including the fact that he gets his donors from Israel and they would have to fabricate a story as to the connection from the donor to the recipient because of the strict screening process.
Rosenbaum called himself a “matchmaker” and I’m sure when Tevye’s daughters sing “Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match” in “Fiddler on the Roof” they aren’t referring to him. He bragged that he had been doing this for ten years. He also told them that it was illegal to sell organs and then hit them for a $10,000 retainer paid in four $2,500 checks. The rest of the deal was $70,000 before the donor arrived and the other $80,000 payable after the transplant. He did not provide any guarantees or warranties. When asked by the purchasers how the checks were to be made out he initially told them to make them payable to a “congregation,” but later told them he’d provide more specifics later.
Here are some other tidbits and nuggets. The fee paid to the donors was $10,000 up-front and $10,000 after the surgery. The other rabbis were laundering money through fake charitable organizations. Most of them were of Syrian origin and headed orthodox congregations. They used Talmudic study sessions to conduct business, and used code words for the transaction. The word “gemora” was the term substituted for the word “cash.” Gemora is a Hebrew term used to describe the holy books of the Talmud
Dwek’s father gave a very emotional sermon last Shabbos Saturday haranguing the usage of informants who turn Jew against Jew. He denies that it was directed at his progeny, the FBI’s cooperating witness.
Also, Johns Hopkins was mentioned by AP and MSNBC as follows: “Officials say Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore were allegedly contacted by the suspects for these procedures.” Both hospitals have denied this. Rumors now have been circulating that Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York, and Albert Einstein Hospital in Philadelphia were the hospitals where the transplants took place. I personally contacted Hopkins and I have provided their response verbatim. It follows this story.
One of the 44 people arrested killed himself.
Obviously, there will be much more news on these despicable events coming down the road. I will attempt to keep you informed. The only thing left to say at this point is to keep the faith, and continue to believe in human decency, even after reading this sordid story. We’re all affected by this one.
Hello,
Here’s our interim statement in response to the Assoc. Press article and subsequent reports on NBC, ABC, etc. Thank you.
=======================================
STATEMENT FROM THE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL
=======================================
” We are aware of reports of the arrests and of a newspaper report that The Johns Hopkins Hospital was contacted. However, investigators have not contacted Johns Hopkins and we do not have enough details to determine whether such contact was made.
“And to the best of our knowledge, we have not been contacted by any sort of organ ‘broker.’
“Our Kidney Transplant Program follows protocols where all potential living donors are screened by an independent living donor advocate, and we have donors and recipients sign acknowledgements that it is illegal to accept/pay money for organ donation.”
- JHM -
========================================
=================
BACKGROUNDER
=================
ARTICLE EXCERPT
Officials say separate from the corruption probe, some of the suspects charged today were also connected to an illegal human organ-selling ring. Investigators say some charged would take cash payments to help find organs for sick patients in need of transplants. It’s unclear where the body parts might have come from or how many surgeries may have been done.
The body parts scheme involved kidney transplants, authorities said. Patients in need would pay middle-men to find willing donors in Israel. Investigators said the suspects would then have the donor and patient lie to hospitals that they were related. Hospitals would then do the operation unaware that cash payments were part of the deal. Officials say Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore were allegedly contacted by the suspects for these procedures.
FULL ARTICLE
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/New-Jersey-Scandal-Arrests-Corruption.html
=================
David March, MHA
Senior Media Relations Representative/Assistant Director
Johns Hopkins Medicine
901 South Bond St., Ste. 550, Baltimore, MD 21231
410.955.1534 direct, dmarch1@jhmi.eduThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Affidavit of FBI Agent Robert Cooke detailing specific allegations against Rosenbaum
