NEW YORK
CBS New York
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Three rabbis and seven other men allegedly conspired to kidnap and use cattle prods, among other methods, to force Orthodox Jewish men into divorcing their wives, authorities said.
Among those charged Thursday were rabbis Mendel Epstein, 68, and Martin Wolmark, 55, as well as Ariel Potash and a fourth individual known as “Yaakov.” The 10 suspects were arraigned in federal court in Trenton, N.J.
The arrests were announced after the FBI raided several locations overnight, including Yeshiva Shaarei Torah in Suffern, a home in Brooklyn and at least one other location in New Jersey.
Epstein and Wolmark allegedly charged wives and their families thousands of dollars to obtain a religious divorce from recalcitrant husbands by means of kidnapping and violence, according to the criminal complaint.
Potash and Yaakov are accused of assisting the rabbis in obtaining the divorces, authorities said.
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