The New York divorce coercion gang was a Haredi JewishBandler, Jonathan; Lieberman, Steve (October 10, 2013) "FBI Arrests N.Y. Rabbis in Jewish Divorce-gang Probe , USA Today. "Also arrested was Rabbi Mendel Epstein, a prominent Ultra-Orthodox divorce mediator in Brooklyn ..." group who kidnapped, and in some cases tortured, Jewish men in the New York metropolitan area to force them to grant their wives religious divorces (gittin). The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) broke up the group after conducting a sting operation against the gang in October 2013. The sting resulted in the prosecution of four men, three of whom were convicted in late 2015.Mullen, Shannon (April 21, 2015) "Rabbi Guilty of Kidnapping Conspiracy, Jury Finds" , Asbury Park Press

Background

Divorce is permitted in Judaism. Originally, only the husband was granted the power to terminate a marriage, which he could effectuate unilaterally for almost any reason by simply giving his wife a get (divorce document). During the Middle Ages, this rule was amended by Gershom ben Judah, who stipulated that a divorce could only be obtained through the consent of both parties. Henceforth, in order for a woman to receive a religious divorce, halakha (Jewish law) required that she obtain her husband's consent; this would avert the prospect of an invalid second marriage, which carries with it the possibility of her offspring being considered mamzerim (bastards/impure).Malinowitz, Chaim; "The New York State Get Bill and its Halachic Ramifications" ; Jewish Law Articles. "Various types of invalidating coercion include phvsical punishment, physical restraint (jail), monetary loss, or threats of any of the above. Any of these coercive situations which brings about a Get without a verdict of invalidates that ." A contentious divorce must be arbitrated through a competent beth din. Among the valid reasons for divorce in Judaism are impotency, the intentional withholding of sex, injurious disease, apostasy, a verifiable instance of adultery committed by the wife, or certain forms of persistent spousal abuse. If either the husband refuses to grant the or the wife refuses to accept it, the beth din can implement certain coercive measures on the recalcitrant party; these include community shunning measures, financial penalties, or even physical confinement and/or assault, which can only be implemented after the beth din issues a formal ruling of coercion (). Physical coercion or other types of intimidation initiated against the husband that are not firmly grounded in a ruling of can potentially place the validity of the divorce in doubt. In any case, these measures are most often directed against the husband; in the event of his wife's recalcitrance or insanity, the husband has the option to simply remarry, or—for Ashkenazi Jews—obtain a () to remarry.

History In the mid-1980s, a Haredi rabbi from Brooklyn, New began to advocate for women seeking religious divorces from their husbands.Dickter, Adam (October 16, 2013) "Accused Kidnap Rabbi Known For 'Wild West' Rules" , The New York Jewish Week Dubbed "The Prodfather" by the press, due to his boast of using a cattle prod against his victims, Epstein coerced these men to divorce their wives through the use of violence.Mullen, Shannon (December 15, 2015) "10-year Sentence for Lakewood 'Prodfather' Rabbi", Asbury Park Press In 1991, fathers' rights activist Monty Weinstein staged a protest with 25 people outside Epstein's home, with some carrying signs that read "Stop Mendel Epstein!". Weinstein had heard stories about Epstein's tactics for years, but nothing ever happened when he complained to the authorities. He said, "What bothered me is that the police and courts didn't care."Yudelson, Larry (October 18, 2013) "Unchained Reaction" , Jewish Standard. Retrieved April 3, 2019.

On October 23, 1996, while he was walking from the synagogue to his home in Borough Park, Brooklyn, Abraham Rubin was shoved into a van by three masked men, beaten, and shocked with a stun-gun more than 30 times, including in his genitals, until he agreed to give his wife a get. After his 3-hour ordeal, he was left bruised, bloodied, handcuffed, blindfolded, and half-naked at the entrance to a cemetery.Samaha, Albert (December 4, 2013) "Bad Rabbi: Tales of Extortion and Torture Depict a Divorce Broker's Brutal Grip on the Orthodox Community" , The Village Voice The same year, a rabbinical council in neighboring Williamsburg issued a statement condemning the shadowy group of -enforcers.

In the following year, Rubin filed a civil racketeering lawsuit against Epstein and a conspirator, Martin Wolmark, head of Yeshiva Shaarei Torah of Rockland on West Carlton Road in Suffern, New York.Saul, Josh; Italiano, Laura (October 11, 2013) "Rabbis beat me, stun-gunned my genitals" , New York Post However, charges against his attackers were dropped in 2000 by Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, after Rubin "could not identify any of his assailants". In 1998, accountant Stephen Weiss alleged that his jaw, leg, and arm were broken in 1992 by members of the gang, but no arrests were made. Newsday interviewed an additional dozen residents of Borough Park and Midwood, Brooklyn, all of whom claimed that they were harassed, threatened, or assaulted by men working for their estranged wives. Hynes agreed to look into the charges, but, despite pressure from the victims, declined to prosecute.Shaer, Matthew (September 2, 2014) "Epstein Orthodox Hit Squad" , GQ

On December 1, 2009, Israel Markowitz was lured from Brooklyn to Lakewood Township, New Jersey, under the pretense of receiving employment at a document shredding establishment.Loder, Stephanie (May 15, 2014) "Stun Guns Forced Orthodox Divorce, Prosecutors Say" , Asbury Park PressSamaha, Albert (May 23, 2014) "Indictment Officially Ties Rabbis to Three Divorce Extortion Kidnappings" , The Village VoiceGecan, Alex N. (July 2, 2016) "Inside Lakewood's Controversial Watch Group" , Asbury Park Press He was then assaulted, placed in a van, tied up, beaten, and shocked with a stun-gun until he agreed to give his wife a get. On October 16, 2010, Yisrael Bryskman, an Israeli citizen, was lured from New York to the Lakewood home of David Wax, an accomplice of Epstein, where he was promised employment as a typist of Talmudic texts. Bryskman entered Wax's home shortly before midnight, was shown into a second-story bedroom, and was immediately punched in the face, breaking his nose. He was then forced to the floor, blindfolded, handcuffed, and ankle-tied. A pool of blood appeared on the carpet. Wax presented Bryskman with a body bag, "to get [you] used to the size".Hutchinson, Bill (May 6, 2014) "N.J. Rabbi Pleads Guilty to Violent Scheme to Force a Jewish Divorce" , New York Daily News He was then kicked in the ribs, burned with acid, and threatened to be urinated upon, fed to rats, and buried alive, until he agreed to give his wife a get. Wax was paid $100,000 from the wife's family for the document, half of which went to Epstein, and he attempted to extort an additional $50,000 from Bryskman's father in Israel over the phone, threatening that if he didn't comply, he'd receive a "special it's called a bullet ... in your head". On August 22, 2011, in Brooklyn, Usher Chaimowitz and his roommate, Menachem Teitelbaum, were assaulted, tied up, and beaten for two hours, until Chaimowitz agreed to give his wife a get. Teitelbaum was punched in the face, had four of his teeth knocked out, his head pushed through a wall, and his mouth stuffed with dirty socks when he tried to scream for help. When he asked why they were beating him, one of his attackers quoted the Talmudic dictum "Woe to the evildoer, woe to his neighbor".Jones, Abigail (April 8, 2015) "In Orthodox Jewish Divorce, Men Hold All the Cards" , NewsweekSpoto, MaryAnn (March 2, 2015) "'Give A Divorce,' Attackers Yelled As They Beat Men, Victim Testifies In Lakewood Rabbi Trial" , NJ.com

In October 2010, Wax and his wife Judy were arrested for their part in the Bryskman kidnapping and beating, and Wax subsequently agreed to testify as a government witness, claiming that Epstein was the head of the operation and that his son, David Epstein, was present in the bedroom during the Bryskman beating.Spoto, MaryAnn (February 18, 2015) "Lakewood Rabbi Trial Underway for Kidnap, Torture of Husbands" , NJ.com The Bryskman case was what led federal authorities in New Jersey to begin their investigation of Mendel Epstein for his role in the crime.Samaha, Albert (May 7, 2014) "David Wax Pleads Guilty, Implicates Mendel Epstein in NJ Divorce Extortion Case" , The Village Voice

Sting operation In the summer of 2013, an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent dialed Martin Wolmark,O'Rourke, James (January 15, 2015) "Rabbi Pleads Guilty in Violent Plot to Coerce Divorce" , USAToday. Retrieved April 3, 2019. and told him her husband refused to give her a get. The agent, together with another agent she identified as her brother, met with Wolmark on August 7, who proceeded to set up a conference call with Epstein. Epstein later said he needed $10,000 to approve the coercion at the beth din, and $60,000 for the "tough guys" who would use karate, rope, a screwdriver, and plastic bags over the men's heads to get them to co-operate. Epstein told the agent that he would not be present at the attack, planning instead to be out and about, and suggested that she do the same, explaining that being seen in public would provide them with an alibi.Boyer, Barbara (January 25, 2017) "Rabbis in Strong-arm Religious Divorces Ask Court to Overturn Convictions" , Philly.com The agents handed Epstein a check for $10,000, with the word "Consultation" written in the memo.Swenson, Kyle (July 19, 2017) "Stun-Gun-Wielding Rabbi Kidnappers Fail to Convince Court They Were Just Practicing Their Faith" , The Washington Post. Retrieved April 3, 2019. On September 29, Epstein drove from New York across state lines to a warehouse in Edison, New Jersey to stake out the location and verify that it was appropriate to stage a kidnapping and beating there. Four days later, he drove to Suffern to meet with the female agent and Wolmark, who convened the beth din that, in exchange for the fee, would declare that the "husband" is required to divorce his "wife". The rabbis, who were unaware that the agent was recording the meeting, openly discussed the plan to kidnap and assault the husband to force him to provide the get.

Arrests On October 9, 2013, Wolmark and eight other men gathered at the warehouse in Edison to prepare for the kidnapping.Darragh, Tim (December 14, 2015) "Rabbi Sentenced to Jail in Extortion-for-Divorce Case" , NJ.com. Retrieved December 26, 2018. Suddenly, federal agents burst in and arrested the would-be kidnappers. Epstein was arrested separately in Brooklyn,(October 11, 2013) "Two Prominent Orthodox Jewish Rabbis Arrested in Divorce Extortion Case", News12 Westchester and Wolmark's Suffern yeshiva was raided. At a federal court hearing the following day in Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman said, "The charge is kidnapping and extortion. Violent crime to get Jewish men to give divorces they wouldn't otherwise get. It's not really an exercise of religion. It's really about money and violent crime."Staff. (October 10, 2013) "FBI: Men Plotted to Kidnap, Use Cattle Prods to Force Orthodox Jewish Men to Divorce Wives" , CBS New York. Retrieved June 27, 2019. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Gribko said the gang "didn't do it out of religious conviction. They did it for money".Yaniv, Oren (October 11, 2013). "Rabbi Tortured Jewish Husbands to Divorce:Feds" , New York Daily News On May 6, 2014, Wax pleaded guilty in federal court in New Jersey to conspiracy to commit kidnapping. He named the men arrested the previous October as his accomplices.

Criminal trials