A yeshiva administrator who fled Israel ahead of his arrest has been taken into custody in the United States on suspicion of committing sexual offenses against minors between 2020 and 2023, authorities said.

 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

@ICEgov

ICE HSI and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Yechiel Yehoshua Farkash, a foreign fugitive from Israel who was wanted in his home nation for alleged sex crimes against children. Our team arrested him at his home in Lakewood, N.J. ICE HSI Atlantic City will coordinate with ICE

@HSINewark

Victim Assistance Program to conduct any additional interviews and identify other possible victims related to the case. If you or someone you know were victimized, please call: 866-DHS-2-ICE

 

U.S. authorities arrested Yechiel Yehoshua Farkash, a fugitive in New Jersey, after Israel requested his arrest and extradition.

The 43-year-old was wanted on charges of sex crimes against children, immigration officials said on Wednesday.

Farkash, a resident of Lakewood, N.J., was arrested on April 17 by Homeland Security Investigations agents—federal law-enforcement officers within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security responsible for investigating transnational crime—and the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.

“Israeli authorities sought to prosecute Farkas for attempted rape and indecent acts involving children based on acts committed in Israel between 2020 and 2023,” officials said. “Pursuant to the U.S.-Israel extradition treaty, the government of Israel requested provisional arrest with a view toward extradition, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey obtained a provisional arrest warrant in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.”

Michael McCarthy, HSI Newark special agent in charge, said his team is committed to “ensuring the United States does not become a haven for criminal fugitives.”

 

https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/fugitive-wanted-in-israel-arrested-in-new-jersey?