11 july 2019
Reports in Israeli media suggest Ehud Barak received over $2 million in grants last decade from a company belonging to Epstein, who on Monday was charged with sex trafficking of underage girls, some of whom were as young as 14 year old
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak is playing down his ties with Jeffrey Epstein, the U.S. financier jailed on sex-trafficking charges.
Barak's connection with the Jewish billionaire has emerged in Israeli media just days after the 78-year-old former premier announced his political comeback in a bid to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September 17 elections.
According to the media reports, Barak received over $2 million in grants last decade from the Wexner Foundation when Epstein sat on the group's board. Netanyahu accuses the media of remaining "silent" about the matter.
In a radio interview Thursday, Barak said he met Epstein several times, but said he "didn't support me or pay me." He said he has met many people over the years, including some involved in "problematic things," such as Harvey Weinstein.
"I also met Netanyahu," he quipped.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak is playing down his ties with Jeffrey Epstein, the U.S. financier jailed on sex-trafficking charges.
Barak's connection with the Jewish billionaire has emerged in Israeli media just days after the 78-year-old former premier announced his political comeback in a bid to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September 17 elections.
According to the media reports, Barak received over $2 million in grants last decade from the Wexner Foundation when Epstein sat on the group's board. Netanyahu accuses the media of remaining "silent" about the matter.
In a radio interview Thursday, Barak said he met Epstein several times, but said he "didn't support me or pay me." He said he has met many people over the years, including some involved in "problematic things," such as Harvey Weinstein.
"I also met Netanyahu," he quipped.
Jeffrey Epstein
Epstein was charged with sex trafficking on Monday, as prosecutors accused him of luring dozens of girls as young as 14 to his luxury homes in New York and Florida and paying them for sex acts.
An indictment unsealed in federal court in Manhattan said Epstein, 66, "intentionally sought out minors and knew that many of his victims were in fact under the age of 18, including because, in some instances, minor victims expressly told him their age."
Epstein, whose friends have included President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Great Britain's Prince Andrew, was arrested last Saturday at an airport near New York City after his private jet touched down from France.
Epstein was charged with sex trafficking on Monday, as prosecutors accused him of luring dozens of girls as young as 14 to his luxury homes in New York and Florida and paying them for sex acts.
An indictment unsealed in federal court in Manhattan said Epstein, 66, "intentionally sought out minors and knew that many of his victims were in fact under the age of 18, including because, in some instances, minor victims expressly told him their age."
Epstein, whose friends have included President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Great Britain's Prince Andrew, was arrested last Saturday at an airport near New York City after his private jet touched down from France.
10 july 2019
Court files in human trafficking case
S. who is often appointed by courts as legal guardian of people with diminished capacity, is alleged to have kidnapped a young pregnant woman and arranged an adoption now being questioned, along with several other smilar cases; well-known ultra-Orthodox individuals suspected to have been involved
The Family Matters Court partially lifted a gag order imposed earlier on a human trafficking case in litigation for the past three years.
A woman who was in a frail mental state was taken to the United States in 2017, in the late stages of her pregnancy and after delivering a baby, he was adopted into an Israeli family without her consent, according to an investigative report conducted by Ynet and its sister publication Yediot Aharonot.
The adoption was allegedly organized by the woman's court appointed guardian from a city in the north of the country, who was said to have arranged the adoption and was on hand when the baby was given to the adoptive parents.
Police believe this was not an isolated incident and that the guardian identified only as S. arranged other adoptions in the same manner, after taking young ultra-Orthodox women abroad and handing over their babies following delivery.
In the three years since the incident was first investigated, a gag order has been in placed and periodically renewed protecting the identity of suspects and the mother involved as well as that of the child who now resides with his adoptive parents in Israel.
According to Yael (her real name is under the gag order) when eight months pregnant, she was taking to the United States and kept under lock and key in an apartment. Her court appointed guardian was not on hand for her delivery but after hospital staff was concerned about the emotional capacity of the mother-to-be, S arrived and provided papers proving her authority to act on behalf of the young mother laying any concerns the hospital had to rest. Three months later the adoption was approved by the local court.
The Family Matters Court is deliberating the legality of the adoption, while the adoptive parents were unaware the mother had not given her consent, and ultimately who will have final custody of the child.
Police have been investigation the allegations for the past three years with the help of the international unit of the department and legal experts abroad.
In the course of the past year, suspects have been questioned about their involvement. Some, including S. have been detained. She was released under certain restriction while the investigation continues. S. denies any wrongdoing.
S. who is often appointed by courts as legal guardian of people with diminished capacity, is alleged to have kidnapped a young pregnant woman and arranged an adoption now being questioned, along with several other smilar cases; well-known ultra-Orthodox individuals suspected to have been involved
The Family Matters Court partially lifted a gag order imposed earlier on a human trafficking case in litigation for the past three years.
A woman who was in a frail mental state was taken to the United States in 2017, in the late stages of her pregnancy and after delivering a baby, he was adopted into an Israeli family without her consent, according to an investigative report conducted by Ynet and its sister publication Yediot Aharonot.
The adoption was allegedly organized by the woman's court appointed guardian from a city in the north of the country, who was said to have arranged the adoption and was on hand when the baby was given to the adoptive parents.
Police believe this was not an isolated incident and that the guardian identified only as S. arranged other adoptions in the same manner, after taking young ultra-Orthodox women abroad and handing over their babies following delivery.
In the three years since the incident was first investigated, a gag order has been in placed and periodically renewed protecting the identity of suspects and the mother involved as well as that of the child who now resides with his adoptive parents in Israel.
According to Yael (her real name is under the gag order) when eight months pregnant, she was taking to the United States and kept under lock and key in an apartment. Her court appointed guardian was not on hand for her delivery but after hospital staff was concerned about the emotional capacity of the mother-to-be, S arrived and provided papers proving her authority to act on behalf of the young mother laying any concerns the hospital had to rest. Three months later the adoption was approved by the local court.
The Family Matters Court is deliberating the legality of the adoption, while the adoptive parents were unaware the mother had not given her consent, and ultimately who will have final custody of the child.
Police have been investigation the allegations for the past three years with the help of the international unit of the department and legal experts abroad.
In the course of the past year, suspects have been questioned about their involvement. Some, including S. have been detained. She was released under certain restriction while the investigation continues. S. denies any wrongdoing.
8 july 2019
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The Jewish billionaire - who used to socialize with the likes of Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew - allegedly paid underage girls for massages and molested them at his homes in Florida and New York
Eleven years after letting Jeffrey Epstein off lightly with a once-secret plea deal, the U.S. government is taking another run at putting the wealthy sex offender behind bars with new sex-trafficking charges that law enforcement officials say involve allegations dating to the early 2000s. The Jewish billionaire, arrested over the weekend, is expected to make his first court appearance on the new charges Monday in New York City. |
Prosecutors are likely to argue that he is a flight risk and should remain in jail instead of being released on bail pending trial.
One law enforcement official said the case deals with allegations that Epstein, a 66-year-old hedge fund manager who once hobnobbed with some of the world's most powerful people, paid underage girls for massages and molested them at his homes in Florida and New York.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending case. Court documents related to the case have been kept under seal, and no official announcement of Epstein's arrest has been made.
Epstein's lawyer did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Epstein, whose friends have included President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Great Britain's Prince Andrew, was arrested Saturday at an airport near New York City after his private jet touched down from France.
One law enforcement official said the case deals with allegations that Epstein, a 66-year-old hedge fund manager who once hobnobbed with some of the world's most powerful people, paid underage girls for massages and molested them at his homes in Florida and New York.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending case. Court documents related to the case have been kept under seal, and no official announcement of Epstein's arrest has been made.
Epstein's lawyer did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Epstein, whose friends have included President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Great Britain's Prince Andrew, was arrested Saturday at an airport near New York City after his private jet touched down from France.
Epstein allegedly forced another of his teenage victims into sexual encounters with Prince Andrew
A task force of federal agents and New York City police officers met the plane at Teterboro Airport and took Epstein into custody, law enforcement officials said. He is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal jail near the Manhattan courthouse where he is due to appear on Monday.
Former federal prosecutor David Weinstein said there's almost no chance Epstein will be allowed to go home after the hearing. Under federal court rules, prosecutors can keep a defendant locked up for three extra days while preparing for a bail hearing without needing a reason. If that happens in Epstein's case, it would mean a bail hearing on Thursday.
"The government is clearly seeking to have him detained," Weinstein said.
"The guy is a millionaire or a billionaire. He has unrestrained assets," he added. "If they let him out on a bond, he may take off, go to a jurisdiction where they don't have extradition and they may never get him back."
Epstein's arrest, first reported by The Daily Beast, came amid increased scrutiny of the 2008 non-prosecution deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to lesser state charges while maintaining a jet-set lifestyle, which includes homes in Paris and the U.S. Virgin Islands and a pricy Bentley.
Under the deal, overseen by former Miami U.S. Attorney and current Trump labor secretary Alexander Acosta, Epstein avoided a possible life sentence and served 13 months in jail after pleading guilty to Florida charges of soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution. It also required he reach financial settlements with dozens of his victims and register as a sex offender.
Acosta has defended the plea deal as appropriate under the circumstances, though the White House said in February that it was "looking into" his handling of the deal.
The deal, examined in detail in a series of reports in The Miami Herald, is being challenged in Florida federal court. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra of Florida ruled earlier this year that Epstein's victims should have been consulted under federal law about the deal, and he is now weighing whether to invalidate the deal.
Federal prosecutors recently filed court papers in the Florida case contending Epstein's deal, known as an NPA, must stand.
"The past cannot be undone; the government committed itself to the NPA, and the parties have not disputed that Epstein complied with its provisions," prosecutors wrote in the filing.
They acknowledged, however, that the failure to consult victims "fell short of the government's dedication to serve victims to the best of its ability" and that prosecutors "should have communicated with the victims in a straightforward and transparent way."
The victims in the Florida case have until Monday to respond to the Justice Department's filing.
It was not immediately clear whether that case and the new case involved the same victims since nearly all have remained anonymous. Even so, Weinstein said, the deal only applies to federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida. The current case is being pursued by the Southern District of New York.
Further, there are no double jeopardy implications because Epstein's guilty plea involved only state crimes, while the current case involves federal law.
According to court records in Florida, authorities say at least 40 underage girls were brought into Epstein's Palm Beach mansion for what turned into sexual encounters after female fixers looked for suitable girls locally and in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world.
Some girls were also allegedly brought to Epstein's homes in New York City, New Mexico and a private Caribbean island, according to court documents.
Epstein's arrest Saturday also came just days after a federal appeals court in New York ordered the unsealing of nearly 2,000 pages of records in a since-settled defamation case involving Epstein.
A task force of federal agents and New York City police officers met the plane at Teterboro Airport and took Epstein into custody, law enforcement officials said. He is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal jail near the Manhattan courthouse where he is due to appear on Monday.
Former federal prosecutor David Weinstein said there's almost no chance Epstein will be allowed to go home after the hearing. Under federal court rules, prosecutors can keep a defendant locked up for three extra days while preparing for a bail hearing without needing a reason. If that happens in Epstein's case, it would mean a bail hearing on Thursday.
"The government is clearly seeking to have him detained," Weinstein said.
"The guy is a millionaire or a billionaire. He has unrestrained assets," he added. "If they let him out on a bond, he may take off, go to a jurisdiction where they don't have extradition and they may never get him back."
Epstein's arrest, first reported by The Daily Beast, came amid increased scrutiny of the 2008 non-prosecution deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to lesser state charges while maintaining a jet-set lifestyle, which includes homes in Paris and the U.S. Virgin Islands and a pricy Bentley.
Under the deal, overseen by former Miami U.S. Attorney and current Trump labor secretary Alexander Acosta, Epstein avoided a possible life sentence and served 13 months in jail after pleading guilty to Florida charges of soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution. It also required he reach financial settlements with dozens of his victims and register as a sex offender.
Acosta has defended the plea deal as appropriate under the circumstances, though the White House said in February that it was "looking into" his handling of the deal.
The deal, examined in detail in a series of reports in The Miami Herald, is being challenged in Florida federal court. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra of Florida ruled earlier this year that Epstein's victims should have been consulted under federal law about the deal, and he is now weighing whether to invalidate the deal.
Federal prosecutors recently filed court papers in the Florida case contending Epstein's deal, known as an NPA, must stand.
"The past cannot be undone; the government committed itself to the NPA, and the parties have not disputed that Epstein complied with its provisions," prosecutors wrote in the filing.
They acknowledged, however, that the failure to consult victims "fell short of the government's dedication to serve victims to the best of its ability" and that prosecutors "should have communicated with the victims in a straightforward and transparent way."
The victims in the Florida case have until Monday to respond to the Justice Department's filing.
It was not immediately clear whether that case and the new case involved the same victims since nearly all have remained anonymous. Even so, Weinstein said, the deal only applies to federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida. The current case is being pursued by the Southern District of New York.
Further, there are no double jeopardy implications because Epstein's guilty plea involved only state crimes, while the current case involves federal law.
According to court records in Florida, authorities say at least 40 underage girls were brought into Epstein's Palm Beach mansion for what turned into sexual encounters after female fixers looked for suitable girls locally and in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world.
Some girls were also allegedly brought to Epstein's homes in New York City, New Mexico and a private Caribbean island, according to court documents.
Epstein's arrest Saturday also came just days after a federal appeals court in New York ordered the unsealing of nearly 2,000 pages of records in a since-settled defamation case involving Epstein.
7 july 2019
According to the 18-count indictment, the children at Carmel Mauda's nursery had been severely mistreated; a toddler with one kidney had his stomach squashed; meanwhile, the 25 year old's home burned down in an alleged arson attack
The kindergarten teacher from central Israel accused of mistreating toddlers was charged on Sunday with abuse of at least 11 children under her care. The 25 year old earlier said the surveillance video showing her slapping the children and feeding them their own vomit caught her “on a dark day.”
Carmel Mauda, 25, who owned a private nursery “Baby Love” in the city of Rosh Haayin, was arresred on suspision of child abuse two weeks ago after the police obtained footage of her spanking children with towels, forcing them up against the wall for hours on end, strapping them to chairs and feeding them their own vomit.
The Central District Attorney's Office filed the charges in the Lod District Court against the nursery owner for abusing minors and helpless persons.
According to the 18-count indictment, Mauda squashed the stomach of a toddler with one kidney between a table and a chair and forcefully pulled his head, covered the children with blankets - while sitting on them - in order to prevent them from moving. Used to tie one child’s hands with a wire for hours on end.
Danged the children from side to side by their limbs. Forced them up against the wall for a prolonged period. Spanked them with their own diapers, pinched them and pulled their heads while covering their mouths and noses until they couldn’t breathe. In one incident, a toddler was forced to eat from a plate into which he had vomited.
During her initial interrogation she denied any claims of abuse, saying she was merely “instilling the sense of security in children.” Once she was presented with the video evidence, however, she claimed to have had a “dark day” and behaved “like a Satan.”
The kindergarten teacher from central Israel accused of mistreating toddlers was charged on Sunday with abuse of at least 11 children under her care. The 25 year old earlier said the surveillance video showing her slapping the children and feeding them their own vomit caught her “on a dark day.”
Carmel Mauda, 25, who owned a private nursery “Baby Love” in the city of Rosh Haayin, was arresred on suspision of child abuse two weeks ago after the police obtained footage of her spanking children with towels, forcing them up against the wall for hours on end, strapping them to chairs and feeding them their own vomit.
The Central District Attorney's Office filed the charges in the Lod District Court against the nursery owner for abusing minors and helpless persons.
According to the 18-count indictment, Mauda squashed the stomach of a toddler with one kidney between a table and a chair and forcefully pulled his head, covered the children with blankets - while sitting on them - in order to prevent them from moving. Used to tie one child’s hands with a wire for hours on end.
Danged the children from side to side by their limbs. Forced them up against the wall for a prolonged period. Spanked them with their own diapers, pinched them and pulled their heads while covering their mouths and noses until they couldn’t breathe. In one incident, a toddler was forced to eat from a plate into which he had vomited.
During her initial interrogation she denied any claims of abuse, saying she was merely “instilling the sense of security in children.” Once she was presented with the video evidence, however, she claimed to have had a “dark day” and behaved “like a Satan.”
In the meantime, Mauda’s home - where the nursery was run - has been burned down on Saturday afternoon in what appears to be an arson attack.
The police arrested an 18-year-old man from the West Bank on suspicion of setting fire to the 25 year old’s property and he’ll be brought before court for a remand hearing sometime on Sunday. The attorney who represents the suspect said the young man denies the allegations.
Mauda's family placed the blame for the incident firmly on the incitement campaign against her conducted via social media. They also blamed the media outlets for contributing to the incitement.
“We understand the parents’ anger and pain, but it (the suspected arson attack) crossed a red line,” said the lawyer representing Mauda. “People took the law into their own hands. The trial against Carmel must be conducted in court … The Israel Police must act in order to stop the threats and attempts to harm the family.”
The police arrested an 18-year-old man from the West Bank on suspicion of setting fire to the 25 year old’s property and he’ll be brought before court for a remand hearing sometime on Sunday. The attorney who represents the suspect said the young man denies the allegations.
Mauda's family placed the blame for the incident firmly on the incitement campaign against her conducted via social media. They also blamed the media outlets for contributing to the incitement.
“We understand the parents’ anger and pain, but it (the suspected arson attack) crossed a red line,” said the lawyer representing Mauda. “People took the law into their own hands. The trial against Carmel must be conducted in court … The Israel Police must act in order to stop the threats and attempts to harm the family.”
In addition, at least 50 people demonstrated outside the Neve Tirtza Prison in central Israel, where they believed Mauda was being held. "Let's not forget who the real victims here are," said a father of one of the children abused by the 25 year old when asked about the arson attack.
"They are being transformed into victims, they are not the victims. We are dealing with our children, the fire is less interesting, it’s not a priority at all," he said.
"They are being transformed into victims, they are not the victims. We are dealing with our children, the fire is less interesting, it’s not a priority at all," he said.
4 july 2019
Carmel Mauda who worked at a private nursery in central Israel was caught on video abusing toddlers, including slapping them with towels and forcing one child to eat dinner with hands tied behind his back
A kindergarten teacher from central Israel abused toddlers by spanking them with towels, forcing them up against the wall for hours on end and feeding them their own vomit, according to a surveillance video released by police on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Carmel Mauda who worked in a private nursery called “Baby Love” in the city of Rosh Haayin, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse two weeks ago.
The video shows one incident in which Mauda is attempting to strap a child - whose hands are seen tied behind his back - to a chair. The child is seen crying and falling to the floor while his hands are still tied up.
“Initially he was tied up for 32 minutes and then for another 56 minutes,” said a police investigator during a court hearing where the video evidence was presented. “This little boy was eating his lunch while his hands were tied behind his back.”
The mother, who was at the court hearing, sobbed after seeing the footage and hearing the investigator’s account, saying, “This is my child.”
The investigator said although all the children attending the nursery had been subjected to abuse, the child in question was targeted more than others. “He went through everything,” he said.
Incidents of abuse of other children seen in the surveillance video were also addressed by the investigator during the hearing. “You can see one child, who must be less than a year old, has two mattresses thrown on top of him,” he said. “In another video you see a child is being kicked just for standing in the way.”
Mauda was arrested on June 21 and has remained under arrest (which has been extended several times) since then. Next week the 25 year old is expected to be brought to the Lod District Court where she will be officially charged. She’s accused of assaulting the helpless as well as physically and mentally abusing toddlers.
When Mauda was confronted with the footage by the police, she claimed as far as she’s concerned her actions don’t constitute abuse.
In addition, a kindergarten teacher's assistant who worked at the nursery is accused of witnessing the abuse and even participating in some of it. She was arrested and later released under house arrest. The legal proceedings against her are ongoing.
A kindergarten teacher from central Israel abused toddlers by spanking them with towels, forcing them up against the wall for hours on end and feeding them their own vomit, according to a surveillance video released by police on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Carmel Mauda who worked in a private nursery called “Baby Love” in the city of Rosh Haayin, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse two weeks ago.
The video shows one incident in which Mauda is attempting to strap a child - whose hands are seen tied behind his back - to a chair. The child is seen crying and falling to the floor while his hands are still tied up.
“Initially he was tied up for 32 minutes and then for another 56 minutes,” said a police investigator during a court hearing where the video evidence was presented. “This little boy was eating his lunch while his hands were tied behind his back.”
The mother, who was at the court hearing, sobbed after seeing the footage and hearing the investigator’s account, saying, “This is my child.”
The investigator said although all the children attending the nursery had been subjected to abuse, the child in question was targeted more than others. “He went through everything,” he said.
Incidents of abuse of other children seen in the surveillance video were also addressed by the investigator during the hearing. “You can see one child, who must be less than a year old, has two mattresses thrown on top of him,” he said. “In another video you see a child is being kicked just for standing in the way.”
Mauda was arrested on June 21 and has remained under arrest (which has been extended several times) since then. Next week the 25 year old is expected to be brought to the Lod District Court where she will be officially charged. She’s accused of assaulting the helpless as well as physically and mentally abusing toddlers.
When Mauda was confronted with the footage by the police, she claimed as far as she’s concerned her actions don’t constitute abuse.
In addition, a kindergarten teacher's assistant who worked at the nursery is accused of witnessing the abuse and even participating in some of it. She was arrested and later released under house arrest. The legal proceedings against her are ongoing.
