Fake Rabbi Admits To Million-Dollar Tax Fraud

By Anna Deem in News on Jan 15, 2011 6:45PM

Marvin Berkowitz, 64, a Chicago man who portrayed himself as a rabbi, stood before U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall on Friday and pleaded guilty to organizing a tax fraud ring that used identities from dead people and federal inmates to file for millions of dollars in fake refunds. Specifically, Berkowitz's scheme was to steal $54 million by using 3,000 stolen identities and filing returns in 28 different states, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Berkowitz, who lived in Israel at the time, ran the scam for six years with a group of about 10 people, including family members. They used obituaries to find the names of the deceased and federal records to find the names of inmates. In total, Berkowitz's scheme made about $4.5 million. He also recruited over 50 people to help with the scheme by accepting the fake tax refunds and then giving him the money. To pull this off, court documents revealed that Berkowitz would pose as a rabbi, attorney, or an accountant.

Berkowitz was finally arrested in August 2009 in Jerusalem, where he had fled to avoid another tax fraud case in 2003. His son, David Berkowitz, pleaded guilty in the case already, and charges are currently pending against his other son, Yair Berkowitz, his son-in-law, Eric Berkowitz, and seven other individuals.