Stuart Weinstock, man sentenced for tax fraud involving Chabad of Poway donations
An Escondido man who pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return as part of a donation fraud scheme involving former Chabad of Poway rabbi Yisroel Goldstein was sentenced on Monday to eight months in custody.
Stuart Weinstock, 64, pleaded guilty earlier this year to
making fraudulent donations to the Chabad of Poway over an eight-year span.
Prosecutors say about 75 percent of the money he claimed he
donated was returned to him, allowing Weinstock to evade around $180,000 in
taxes.
Between 2010 and 2018, Weinstock gave the rabbi at least
$872,815 in checks, which were described as “contributions,” “donations” or
“business expenses,” prosecutors said.
Goldstein returned $654,611 to the defendant, often
providing the money in cash to Weinstock while meeting him in person at his
home or business — minus a 25 percent cut for Goldstein. Weinstock then claimed
on his tax returns that the full donation amounts were made to the Chabad as
tax-deductible donations or business expenses.
The case against Weinstock mirrored others made against
co-defendants whose donations to the Chabad and other affiliated organizations
were funneled back to them, though prosecutors have said other defendants
received as much as 90 percent of their donations back.
Goldstein pleaded guilty last year to fraud charges in
connection with the case, but has yet to be sentenced.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that once Goldstein was
arrested in 2018, one of the rabbi’s acquaintances contacted Weinstock to warn
him against accepting any envelopes in the future, cautioning him that
Goldstein might be cooperating with law enforcement.
Comments
Post a Comment