Convicted New Square Leader Dies In Prison
Mar 10, 2004 11:29 am US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) (New Square, New York) Chaim Berger, the longtime New Square leader sentenced to six years in federal prison for masterminding the theft of millions of dollars in government subsidies, died yesterday in a North Carolina prison hospital.
The 79-year-old Berger had cancer, according to Rabbi Mayer Schiller, a New Square community spokesman and Berger's friend of 40 years. Berger was buried in New Square last night.
Berger was serving his sentence at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina.
Berger was one of five men accused of embezzling $11.6 million from federal antipoverty programs. Most of the money was siphoned from government subsidies for education, housing and small business. The five men also concealed their incomes from the Internal Revenue Service, filed phony applications for aid and created nonexistent schools and students.
Berger fled prosecution in 1997, but was arrested in Israel in 1998 and returned to the United States in 2001 to stand trial. Berger pleaded guilty January 23rd, 2002, to one count each of conspiracy and mail fraud. He was sentenced in June 2002, and his projected release date was November הטקסט שלך כאן
תוקן על ידי - ekstein - 11/03/2004 4:25:01
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