Fourth Man Pleads Guilty in ‘Get’ Extortion Plot Aimed at Orthodox Husbands

By JTA March 26, 2014

Another New York City man has pleaded guilty to being part of a group of men who used violent means in exchange for pay to force Jewish husbands to give their wives religious divorces.

Simcha Bulmash, 30, of Brooklyn pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Trenton, N.J., to participating in the extortion ring, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

He faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of $250,000 when he is sentenced in July. He remains out of jail on bail, which includes a $500,000 bond and GPS monitoring.

At least three other members of the ring have pleaded guilty in recent weeks and face the same punishments.

Several men, including two Orthodox rabbis, were arrested last October as part of an undercover FBI sting operation. The ring charged some $60,000 for its services.

According to a complaint filed in court, the men kidnapped and beat up recalcitrant husbands until they agreed to the religious divorce.

Orthodox Jewish women cannot remarry without a get, or writ of divorce, granted by a rabbinical court, which requires the husband’s consent. Some husbands and wives withhold a get in order to gain more favorable terms for alimony or custody of children.

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