Rabbi sentenced to 10 years for leading a gang of men who used electric cattle prods and handcuffs to torture Jewish husbands reluctant to divorce their unhappy wives
- WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
- Mendel Epstein from Brooklyn, New York, was dubbed 'The Prodfather'
- Beat the men so they would comply after the women paid them thousands
- Gang of ten men used rope to tie up victims and masks to intimidate them
- The expert in Orthodox Jewish matrimonial law was convicted on April 21
- Epstein told a court the last two years had been a 'living hell' for him
- He added: 'When I listen to the tapes, I'm embarrassed and ashamed'
Mendel Epstein, 70, from Brooklyn, New
York, who was dubbed 'The Prodfather', has been sentenced to 10 years
behind bars for torturing husbands who were unwilling to divorce their
unhappy wives
A
rabbi who used electric cattle prods and handcuffs to torture husbands
who were reluctant to give their wives religious divorces has been
sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Mendel Epstein, 70, from Brooklyn, New York,
who was dubbed 'The Prodfather', was the leader of a gang who would
beat the men into submission to make them comply after receiving
thousands of dollars from their other halves.
They also used rope to tie up their victims and wore Halloween masks and balaclavas to intimidate them.
The
well-known expert in Orthodox Jewish matrimonial law was convicted on
April 21 after an eight-week trial on one count of conspiracy to commit
kidnapping, along with two other rabbis including Martin Wolmark, 57.
The
plot began to unravel after Wolmark was recorded by an undercover
federal agent who posed as a woman seeking a religious divorce, known as
a 'get.'
Epstein
told District Judge Freda Wolfson that he got caught up in his
tough-guy image, which he says helped him persuade men to give their
wives the religious divorces.
He says he was helping the women out of a sense of compassion because they couldn't remarry without it.
A
judge rejected pleas from Epstein's daughter for leniency, and told him
her must serve at least eight-and-a-half years in prison.
But he did say that he could surrender to authorities on March 1 and begin his jail term then.
In a 10-minute address to the court prior to learning his fate, Epstein took responsibility for his actions, the Ashbury Park Press reported.
'The last two-plus years have been a living hell, and I have only myself to blame,' he told the court.
'When
I listen to the tapes, I'm embarrassed and ashamed,' he said, referring
to a series of incriminating comments he made on the FBI's surveillance
videos and audio tapes, which turned out to be the most damaging
evidence against him.
The well-known expert in Orthodox
Jewish matrimonial law was convicted on April 21 after an eight-week
trial on one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. He is pictured
outside court in February
The FBI released graphic images taken
during the investigation. Including this one of a man who was tied up
and beaten by the gang
'In
them, he describes using kidnapping, cattle prods, phony license
plates, an untraceable cell phone and 'muscle men' in an effort to force
resistant husbands to grant their wives a 'get,' or Jewish divorce
decree.
'I feel when I watch the tapes I'm in the midst of a root canal,' he added.
Wolmark
put the woman and another agent posing as her brother in touch with
fellow Orthodox Rabbi Mendel Epstein, who was convicted of conspiracy to
commit kidnapping and is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday. Epstein was
acquitted of attempted kidnapping.
Jewish law mandates that the get be presented by a husband to a wife to make a divorce official.
The
female undercover FBI agent testified that Wolmark said she needed
'special rabbis' to get the job done. He said Epstein was a 'hired hand'
who could be 'very helpful' to them.
The
two agents told Wolmark that the sister's husband in Argentina wouldn't
divorce her, even after they were 'shaken down' for more than $20,000.
Wolmark warns the agents that it could be a costly process and
recommends Mendel Epstein, according to the recording.
One of the men who was beaten into a submission is pictured being treated in a hospital bed
This plastic Halloween mask was one of the face covers the gang used when they staged their attacks
The gang used a variety of devices to
try and force their victims in submission. This was a blade found during
a raid on a New Jersey warehouse that was part of the investigation
'You
need to get him (the husband) to New York to harass him or nail him —
plain and simple,' Wolmark is heard telling the agents.
After
meeting with Epstein, Wolmark set up a rabbinical court that determined
the husband could be coerced. Eight men then traveled from New York to a
warehouse in Edison, New Jersey, with the intent of confronting the
man.
Instead, they were arrested.
The men even brought vodka to the
tortures. It is not known whether they drunk it themselves or fed it to
their array of victims
Investigators also found rope in the bank of one of the vans the men used