Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, known as a friend and adviser to some of New York City’s most notable real estate movers and shakers, saw his appeal of a year-long prison sentence denied Sunday by Israel’s Supreme Court.
Justice Menachem Mazuz said Pinto’s prison sentence on a bribery conviction is necessary given the rabbi’s actions, with Pinto to begin serving his year behind bars in six weeks, according to the Jewish Press.
Pinto was indicted in 2014 on charges of attempting to bribe an Israeli police officer — offering him $200,000 to gain information about a probe into Pinto’s suspected money laundering. He was sentenced to a year in prison last year and ordered to pay a $250,000 fine after agreeing to a plea bargain.
Pinto’s friends in the city’s real estate scene reportedly include superbroker Ilan Bracha, investor Haim Binstock and real estate attorney Morris Missry. Israeli financial daily Globes named Pinto one of the 10 wealthiest rabbis in Israel in 2012. [Jewish Press] – Rey Mashayekhi