US federal authorities have filed indictments against two Israeli brothers suspected of defrauding the owners of the popular Jewish dating site J-Date and several phone sex services of $40 million, Haaretz reported.
Daniel and Avner Nishri, now living in Belgium, were arrested on Thursday in Las Vegas and charged with four counts of wire fraud, two counts of bankruptcy fraud and one count of pension fraud. Most of the fraudulent activities were committed against Sarit and Ami Shafrir, the Los Angeles-based owners of J-Date and other services for dating and phone sex.
According to the newspaper, Daniel Nishri, allegedly posed as an attorney and investment banker and persuaded the Shafrirs to invest in fictitious companies. The Nishri brothers managed to acquire the assets of five companies owned by the Shafrirs. They then filed close to 100 legal suits against Sarit Shafrir, with the intention of obtaining her total assets.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) were involved in the year long investigation into the Nishri case. Authorities say that the probe is continuing and there could be further arrests. The brothers now face a maximum sentence of 35 years in federal prison if convicted on all counts. — (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
