Brooklyn developer Eliyahu Ezagui was found guilty Tuesday after taking condo buyers and banks for more than $18 million in an elaborate mortgage scam.
He is facing 15 to 20 years in prison.
Ezagui, a Crown Heights resident who moved later to Florida, enticed scores of Lubavitch families into buying the homes but never turned over the deeds.
Preconstruction prices ranged from $90,000 to $160,000 per unit at two locations, 770 Lefferts Ave. and 613 East New York Ave.
Ezagui took out more than $18 million in mortgages on apartments already purchased and occupied by the buyers and their families.
Prosecuters said he pocketed the money, paid the mortgages for a time, then stopped and fled to Israel after The New York Times broke the story, according to authorities.
Hearing about the verdict, a mother of one of those families told COLlive.com: “We knew it’s going to happen. He’s going to sit unless they offer him a plea bargain.”
Asked not to be identified, the woman said she was not happy to hear that Ezagui was charged.
“We tried to prevent this – we are now stuck with fighting the banks – but he did not want to deal or meet with us,” she said.
Related Articles:
+ Reina Ezagui Writes Open Letter
+ Ezagui Indicted in $18M Fraud
why do we need to publicise this loshon hora and make such a chillul Lubavitvh and Hashem?
none of this will help the situation but is just further expanding the aveiros!!!
We want Moshiach but this trmendous lack of Ahavas Yisroel by the news and by the readers isn’t making it any sooner
we just need moshiach now to end all of this. just a side note, it’s cute, or however you say it, how the addresses are 770 and 613. may we only find geulah in this and merit it NOW!
Their are no funds stashed away.
Their is no gold at the end of the rainbow.
^ a lawyer who doesn’t know that this should be spelled “there”?
I’MH if he has bitaachon he will be out of there very soon! Don’t forget, it’s Chodesh Adar!
no, they did not press charges against eli, the district attorney did!! the district attorney supeaned the homeowners and the homeowners had no choice but to answer the supeana and the rabbonim told the homeowners they must answer the supeana. if you do not comply to the supeana you are in contempt of court and you face jail time.
that is how the whole thing started. if eli only would of listened to his friends and stayed in israel……
Eli should of showed some remorse, apologize and taken the plea deal that was offered to him. people begged him to take the plea deal, but he refused to admit his guilt. in the end his stubborness and bad advice from his supporters did him in. everyone is upset that a yid is going to jail, but you are supposed to help yourself and unfortunatly eli did not help himself. as far as the homeowners, nobody wantsto see eli wind up in jail they just wanted what was rightfully theirs. they wanted their deeds. which the homeowners paid. they want… Read more »
i agree with you!!!
he is not a bad man he is a very very nice man!!!
shame on you to who said bad about him!!!
Wether right or wrong if you are not ezagui you cannot speak. We should not be adding fuel to an already burning fire. This is terrible sinac chinam, yidden watch your words.
Do not rejoice on his fate
It is insane taht some jews speak like goyim
The Almighty has rachamanus on His people and we should take care of each other no matter what
Look, it is very simple. When you sell property for price paid, it belongs to the buyer and you have no right not to legally transfer it to him and even less right to mortgage what is now someone else’s property. That is illegal and ossur. Anyone who went into this knowingly made a big mistake and might be an accessory to the crime (and should get a lawyer). If Ezagui did not tell people what he was going to do, then, well, he is a gonif fair and square. And once he mentioned the Rebbe to defend his sorry… Read more »
what’s the end result and what do the people who live in those condo’s need to do?
This is NOT his fault!!!!! Whos fault is it? The Rebbe, because he gave him a Brocho to build, maybe without the brocho it would never happen. The “victems” who bought apartments if they wouldnt “buy”, then no crime would be commited. The “BANKS” who gave him mortgages on the apartments, they almost forced him to take these loans under his wife’s, and parents names. His Real Estate Attorneys who didnt stop him from all these transactions. His mortgage brokers His Title Company His appraisers who over appraised these apt. His wife and parents who accepted the victims deeds under… Read more »
There is no such thing as a free lunch. Did the buyers really think that he would sell apartments for half of their real value? He’s not stupid, he knew all along what he was doing. How can you buy an apartment for cash? with no documents! “Hamotzi mechavayro olov horaya” in the UK buyers complain that the lawers rip you off on conveyancing (the legal aspects of transfering ownership of property) but believe me it’s worth every penny! Wake up and smell the coffee..
B’h
You know who are we to judge him or the ones who so called masserd on him. Who says we are such holy rollers who knows if we if put in that situation would have fared any better??
Why can we not look at the bigger picture and cry out that so many of our brethern r in prison. That we are all lost and need some chizuk in thses trying times. Lets pray for a yeshua instead and work on ourselves not judging our fellow man.
Moshiach nOw.
It is easy to say “stay storng” but on the other hand what else can be said, the aibishter is the one that rules and he also gives each person the stranght and also a purpose to fulfill a shelichus where ever he goes, so make an effort and be stong and we will pray for you that you will be out much sooner then you think. tracht gut vet zain gut
unreal…… our own people……shocked beyond words
2 is abousuletly RIGHT!!!! no dout he did it to himself and will pay the price for his actons he deseves it sorry mr.
Spoke like a lawyer with no moral compass. The remortgaging on property that’s not yours, property that you sold is unethical any way you slice it. Lets wish Eliyohu that he should get away with this “egmes nefesh” & nothing more.
dont say stupid stuff
The community should raise money to help all the victems who are in danger of loosing there roof over ther heads. The Rabbonim and the Vaad Hakohol should step in and save the real victems.
Why did the ….. come back to the US for a small crime like this he would have been better off in Israel of Brasilllll with his family now he is finished!@!
He walks around Kingston arrogant… for the last few months like a big Budah now let him crawl into a hole for 25 years…
stay strong we don’t know why we can’t pretend to understand.. what u did for the community people don’t appreciate.they want everyone to believe that you cheated them.. we know , hashem knows and the people who got their apartments know that they would not have ever gotten anything and would be still renting if you hadn’t helped them out. no hakaros hatov, all you who got your apartments for cheap should speak out and show your hakaros hatov. this is the shame here. one man made a difference and began to build and made this community grow – others… Read more »
What no one mentioned is that if not for Eliyahu all those families who are living in those apts and are crying Eliyahu stole…. forgot they would still be living in section 8 with their big families K”IH. Who ever sold an apt. for soooo cheep? who helped build the shchuna and spread crown heights further then the few blocks crown heights used to be. If you remember Eliyahu took out a morgage and paid it for 8 yrs. When the econmy fell instead of showing the bank hay! The reason he stopped paying is bec. he fell like most… Read more »
no one wins just another jew in jail sad sad sad!!! wake up people!!!
Eliyahu is a good man and should have a yeshuah! we are with you and support you!
i remember when Collive puted up the note from his wife.
Is there someone that agree with me that is not right that they found him guilty ??? if not please let me know….
Really? Was that it? Are you certain that they didn’t press charges?
Ezagui, I feel very bad for the residents who purchased units over there. They paid for their apartments once and might still need to pay the 18 million, between themselves, to the bank. The 18 million dollar question is, where is the 18 million?
You steal. you pay the price. Sorry Boy!
Elie Ezagui was attepmting to payoff the mortgages. The Market collapsed and he could not keep up. He and his family have no money and now he can not support them or pay any debts towards the mortgages. Their are no funds stashed away. He was trying to keep things floating but he could not keep up with the falling market The attorney who pushed the civil case and the criminal case is laughing all the way to the Bank. He charged the owners $25,000.00 to get a deed for their units. Big deal. The deeds are all incumbered by… Read more »
HAS THE WORLD GONE COMPLETELY MAD AND LAWLESS. WAKE UP YIDDEN WE ARE STILL IN GOLUS AND THE GOYIM ARE NOT STUPID.
OUR REBBE TAUGHT US INTREGRITY.
the sinas chinam that goes on is insane! Hashem should send a yeshuah bkorov, DIDAN NOTZACH!
At this propitious time of Adar when we are supposed to get happy, dance with simcha, be content and safe and sound with our loving families, peace between husband and wife, with toov leivav, let us not utter words of disparagy between our fellow man, no matter what he has done. And let us say AMEN. Rabbi Azagui and Rabbi Rubashkin and so on……….. we are with you together as ONE FAMILY. Hashem, please hand us a Purim Miracle now.
When the bank wanted to foreclose on the properties, the buyers told the bank that it was not Ezaguis to mortgage.
remember all those who did this r not innocent they know hashem sees, hashem hears
r u the judge????and those families r not naive- . don’t fool yourselves – and they know it, they r all feeling pretty bad that they caused this!!!!!!!!!!! in the end they didn’t benefit – they only caused pain!!
all those who mussared r just trying to make themselves feel better by saying all these negative comments.
enough! u caused enough pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
whichever way you slice it, it’s a bad result. nobody wins, not the “owners” & not Ezagui. Very sad.
What did Ezagui expect ? The law would eventually catch up with him… especially it was done out in the open to those poor naive families!!! Again, Hashem have rachmanas on your Nation! 15-20 years is another word for kissing your life away.
At least he’ll have no trouble finding a minyan.
What has happened to the tenants of those bldg’s? Can they keep their places or?
We need moshiach mamash right now already.
he is NOT guilty of premeditated crimes. the people were willing accomplices in this as well, and did very well for many years! stop believing everything just because u see it written. dont be a sheep! we have enough sheep!
I am wondering who told on him? How did the banks know that the condos/apartments were not his?
oh vey he kinda did it to himself. Didnt think he would get caught
Nobody wins and a jew is in prison!