Rabbis, Jewish Leaders In FBI Bust

The arrests by the FBI of five ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders in New York and New Jersey is making international headlines particualarly in Israel.

All three of the country's major newspapers feature pictures of the men busted.

In another dramatic twist to this massive corruption probe, the son of a rabbi from Deal, New Jersey helped to bring down the 44 people arrested.

Two of the rabbis charged yesterday with money laundering headed Jewish congregations in Deal.

Micky Rosenfeld, a spokesman for Israel's national police force, said Friday that Israeli police were not involved in the
investigation. He would not comment further.

Federal prosecutors in the U.S. said the investigation focused on a money laundering network that operated between Brooklyn, N.Y.; Deal and Israel.

The network is alleged to have laundered tens of millions of dollars through Jewish charities controlled by rabbis in New York and New Jersey.

Prosecutors then used an informant in that investigation to help them go after corrupt politicians.

The informant -- a real estate developer charged with bank fraud three years ago -- posed as a crooked businessman and paid a string of public officials tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to get approvals for buildings and other projects in New Jersey, authorities said.