The following letter was published today in the Times-Herald Record of Middletown NY, and on Friday 4/1 in the Orange County Post / Sentinel of Orange County NY:
The recent FBI raids in Brooklyn, Monsey and locally in Kiryas Joel bring to light the element of crime in this close-knit triangle of communities which affects law-abiding taxpayers in Orange County and New York State.
But we must stop thinking of the attempts by the unscrupulous players perpetuating this fraud as being a Hasidic problem. That is as inaccurate as is saying that the Mafia being a Catholic problem or an Italian problem.
The same is true of other groups that have criminal people within them, which we often call "mobs" or "gangs," who scare and take over entire communities, and think themselves above the law.
The problem is that there are evil people who exist in close-knit groups, and some decide to create and run criminal organizations. Racketeering and other high-finance crime must not be tolerated, and must be prosecuted for the benefit of everyone living in Orange County and in New York State.
Mark Levy
Salisbury Mills
http://www.recordonline.com/article/20160403/OPINION/160409967/2014/OPINION
The recent FBI raids in Brooklyn, Monsey and locally in Kiryas Joel bring to light the element of crime in this close-knit triangle of communities which affects law-abiding taxpayers in Orange County and New York State.
But we must stop thinking of the attempts by the unscrupulous players perpetuating this fraud as being a Hasidic problem. That is as inaccurate as is saying that the Mafia being a Catholic problem or an Italian problem.
The same is true of other groups that have criminal people within them, which we often call "mobs" or "gangs," who scare and take over entire communities, and think themselves above the law.
The problem is that there are evil people who exist in close-knit groups, and some decide to create and run criminal organizations. Racketeering and other high-finance crime must not be tolerated, and must be prosecuted for the benefit of everyone living in Orange County and in New York State.
Mark Levy
Salisbury Mills
http://www.recordonline.com/article/20160403/OPINION/160409967/2014/OPINION