Kiryas Joel Murder Conspiracy
Murder Conspiracy for Divorce
CLASSIFICATION: Conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder
LOCATION
Kiryas Joel, New York
TIME PERIOD
2016
VICTIMS
1 confirmed
In the summer of 2016, a conspiracy to kidnap and murder Joseph Masri, a resident of Kiryas Joel, New York, was orchestrated due to his refusal to grant his wife a Jewish divorce document known as a get. The plot involved Shimen Liebowitz, a local divorce mediator; Aharon Goldberg, an Israeli rabbi; and Binyamin Gottlieb, all of whom were motivated by the wife's prolonged inability to remarry. The conspiracy was thwarted when a fourth conspirator, an informant for the FBI operating under the alias Joe Levin, led to the arrest of the three men before the crime could be executed. In 2017, Liebowitz, Goldberg, and Gottlieb were convicted and sentenced to prison, concluding the case.
The Kiryas Joel murder conspiracy was driven by the refusal of Joseph Masri to grant his wife a get, which is a necessary Jewish divorce document, leading to a plot for his kidnapping and murder. The conspirators, including a divorce mediator and an Israeli rabbi, believed that coercing Masri through extreme measures was justified to resolve the marital impasse. Additionally, the involvement of an informant who posed as a conspirator highlights a significant law enforcement operation that thwarted the planned crime.
The Kiryas Joel Murder Conspiracy: A Chilling Plot
In the serene village of Kiryas Joel, New York, the summer of 2016 was anything but peaceful. Beneath the surface of this Hasidic enclave, a sinister plot was brewing. At its center was Joseph Masri, a man caught in the throes of a troubled marriage. His refusal to grant his wife a get, a Jewish divorce document, set off a chain of events that would lead to a chilling conspiracy to kidnap and murder him.
Background: The Agunah Dilemma
In Jewish law, a married woman cannot remarry unless her husband provides her with a get or upon his death. Without this document, she becomes an agunah, chained to a marriage that has effectively ended. Joseph Masri, a taxi driver from Kiryas Joel, found himself estranged from his wife, living separately in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with his father. His wife's desperate attempts to secure a get led her to seek help from prominent community rabbis.
The Conspiracy Unfolds
Enter Shimen Liebowitz, a Satmar Hasid from Melbourne, Australia. At the age of 16, he had moved to Kiryas Joel to attend rabbinical college. Now an internet entrepreneur dabbling in divorce mediation, Liebowitz was approached by Masri's wife's family to help obtain the elusive get. They had been waiting for a decade. Liebowitz, in turn, reached out to Aharon Goldberg, an influential Israeli rabbi in the community, known for his success in securing divorces in Israel. But Goldberg was upfront about his limitations in the U.S., stating he had no "soldiers" to assist him.
Binyamin Gottlieb, a father of five from Airmont, New York, with a notorious reputation for coercing gets, introduced the duo to Joe Levin. Unbeknownst to them, Levin was an FBI informant named Avraham Lehrer, posing as a private investigator and divorce consultant. In a meeting in Rockland County, New York, they discussed a $25,000 payment and concocted a plan to kidnap Masri, possibly in Pennsylvania or Ukraine, where Masri planned to travel for Rosh Hashanah. The goal: torture him into granting the divorce.
As the plot thickened, Gottlieb discussed luring Masri to Puerto Rico, and on August 9, 2016, during a second meeting near Zenta Road in Kiryas Joel, the scheme shifted focus back to Ukraine. Just three days later, they decided the operation should occur in the U.S., providing Levin with an additional $20,000.
The Deadly Intent
Goldberg's intentions turned darker during a meeting with Levin in Israel. He expressed not just a desire to kidnap Masri but to kill him. On August 25, 2016, at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, Liebowitz handed Levin another $12,000. During a speakerphone call with Goldberg in Israel, they used coded language about a "wedding in America," understood by the FBI as a reference to the planned kidnapping. Goldberg cryptically mentioned chesed shel emet, a Hebrew phrase for caring for the dead, leaving no doubt about his lethal intentions.
On September 2, 2016, Levin met with Liebowitz again at Woodbury Commons. Despite Liebowitz's limited understanding of Modern Hebrew, he knew enough of Goldberg's plan to express a cold calculation about Masri's potential disappearance. He even suggested Masri's family might not be overly concerned if he vanished for a few days.
The Sting Operation
On September 6, 2016, Goldberg and Liebowitz met Levin at a hotel in Central Valley. Believing Masri was "half dead," they agreed to "do the bullet," with Goldberg requiring proof of death to present to the beth din to declare the marriage over. As they discussed the gruesome details, the FBI moved in, arresting Goldberg and Liebowitz on the spot.
Days later, on September 11, 2016, Binyamin Gottlieb was apprehended at JFK International Airport in Queens, New York, as he attempted to board a flight to Ukraine.
Legal Consequences
The legal proceedings were swift. On July 27, 2017, Liebowitz admitted his guilt in a conspiracy to commit extortion. Gottlieb followed, pleading guilty to concealing a felony on September 15, 2017. Finally, on September 28, 2017, Goldberg confessed to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder-for-hire.
U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein delivered the sentences on November 30, 2017. Goldberg received three years in prison, Liebowitz two years, and Gottlieb was given one year's probation.
Conclusion
The Kiryas Joel murder conspiracy reveals the lengths some will go to bend the rigid rules of tradition and law. This chilling plot, thwarted by an FBI sting operation, serves as a grim reminder of the dark undercurrents that can exist beneath the surface of seemingly peaceful communities.
Sources
For more detailed information, please refer to the original Wikipedia article: Kiryas Joel murder conspiracy
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Murder Plot Hatched
Shimen Liebowitz, Aharon Goldberg, and Binyamin Gottlieb conspire to kidnap and murder Joseph Masri.
Second Meeting Recorded
The conspirators meet again to finalize plans for kidnapping Masri, recorded by informant Joe Levin.
Payment Discussed
Liebowitz meets Levin to pay an additional $12,000 for the kidnapping plot.
Arrests Made
FBI arrests Goldberg and Liebowitz during a meeting where they discuss killing Masri.
Gottlieb Arrested
Binyamin Gottlieb is arrested at JFK Airport while attempting to flee to Ukraine.
Liebowitz Pleads Guilty
Shimen Liebowitz pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion.
Gottlieb Pleads Guilty
Binyamin Gottlieb pleads guilty to concealing a felony related to the murder plot.
Goldberg Pleads Guilty
Aharon Goldberg pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder-for-hire.
Sentencing
Goldberg sentenced to 3 years, Liebowitz to 2 years, and Gottlieb to 1 year probation.
In the summer of 2016, a conspiracy to kidnap and murder Joseph Masri, a resident of Kiryas Joel, New York, was orchestrated due to his refusal to grant his wife a Jewish divorce document known as a get. The plot involved Shimen Liebowitz, a local divorce mediator; Aharon Goldberg, an Israeli rabbi; and Binyamin Gottlieb, all of whom were motivated by the wife's prolonged inability to remarry. The conspiracy was thwarted when a fourth conspirator, an informant for the FBI operating under the alias Joe Levin, led to the arrest of the three men before the crime could be executed. In 2017, Liebowitz, Goldberg, and Gottlieb were convicted and sentenced to prison, concluding the case.
The Kiryas Joel murder conspiracy was driven by the refusal of Joseph Masri to grant his wife a get, which is a necessary Jewish divorce document, leading to a plot for his kidnapping and murder. The conspirators, including a divorce mediator and an Israeli rabbi, believed that coercing Masri through extreme measures was justified to resolve the marital impasse. Additionally, the involvement of an informant who posed as a conspirator highlights a significant law enforcement operation that thwarted the planned crime.
The Kiryas Joel Murder Conspiracy: A Chilling Plot
In the serene village of Kiryas Joel, New York, the summer of 2016 was anything but peaceful. Beneath the surface of this Hasidic enclave, a sinister plot was brewing. At its center was Joseph Masri, a man caught in the throes of a troubled marriage. His refusal to grant his wife a get, a Jewish divorce document, set off a chain of events that would lead to a chilling conspiracy to kidnap and murder him.
Background: The Agunah Dilemma
In Jewish law, a married woman cannot remarry unless her husband provides her with a get or upon his death. Without this document, she becomes an agunah, chained to a marriage that has effectively ended. Joseph Masri, a taxi driver from Kiryas Joel, found himself estranged from his wife, living separately in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with his father. His wife's desperate attempts to secure a get led her to seek help from prominent community rabbis.
The Conspiracy Unfolds
Enter Shimen Liebowitz, a Satmar Hasid from Melbourne, Australia. At the age of 16, he had moved to Kiryas Joel to attend rabbinical college. Now an internet entrepreneur dabbling in divorce mediation, Liebowitz was approached by Masri's wife's family to help obtain the elusive get. They had been waiting for a decade. Liebowitz, in turn, reached out to Aharon Goldberg, an influential Israeli rabbi in the community, known for his success in securing divorces in Israel. But Goldberg was upfront about his limitations in the U.S., stating he had no "soldiers" to assist him.
Binyamin Gottlieb, a father of five from Airmont, New York, with a notorious reputation for coercing gets, introduced the duo to Joe Levin. Unbeknownst to them, Levin was an FBI informant named Avraham Lehrer, posing as a private investigator and divorce consultant. In a meeting in Rockland County, New York, they discussed a $25,000 payment and concocted a plan to kidnap Masri, possibly in Pennsylvania or Ukraine, where Masri planned to travel for Rosh Hashanah. The goal: torture him into granting the divorce.
As the plot thickened, Gottlieb discussed luring Masri to Puerto Rico, and on August 9, 2016, during a second meeting near Zenta Road in Kiryas Joel, the scheme shifted focus back to Ukraine. Just three days later, they decided the operation should occur in the U.S., providing Levin with an additional $20,000.
The Deadly Intent
Goldberg's intentions turned darker during a meeting with Levin in Israel. He expressed not just a desire to kidnap Masri but to kill him. On August 25, 2016, at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, Liebowitz handed Levin another $12,000. During a speakerphone call with Goldberg in Israel, they used coded language about a "wedding in America," understood by the FBI as a reference to the planned kidnapping. Goldberg cryptically mentioned chesed shel emet, a Hebrew phrase for caring for the dead, leaving no doubt about his lethal intentions.
On September 2, 2016, Levin met with Liebowitz again at Woodbury Commons. Despite Liebowitz's limited understanding of Modern Hebrew, he knew enough of Goldberg's plan to express a cold calculation about Masri's potential disappearance. He even suggested Masri's family might not be overly concerned if he vanished for a few days.
The Sting Operation
On September 6, 2016, Goldberg and Liebowitz met Levin at a hotel in Central Valley. Believing Masri was "half dead," they agreed to "do the bullet," with Goldberg requiring proof of death to present to the beth din to declare the marriage over. As they discussed the gruesome details, the FBI moved in, arresting Goldberg and Liebowitz on the spot.
Days later, on September 11, 2016, Binyamin Gottlieb was apprehended at JFK International Airport in Queens, New York, as he attempted to board a flight to Ukraine.
Legal Consequences
The legal proceedings were swift. On July 27, 2017, Liebowitz admitted his guilt in a conspiracy to commit extortion. Gottlieb followed, pleading guilty to concealing a felony on September 15, 2017. Finally, on September 28, 2017, Goldberg confessed to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder-for-hire.
U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein delivered the sentences on November 30, 2017. Goldberg received three years in prison, Liebowitz two years, and Gottlieb was given one year's probation.
Conclusion
The Kiryas Joel murder conspiracy reveals the lengths some will go to bend the rigid rules of tradition and law. This chilling plot, thwarted by an FBI sting operation, serves as a grim reminder of the dark undercurrents that can exist beneath the surface of seemingly peaceful communities.
Sources
For more detailed information, please refer to the original Wikipedia article: Kiryas Joel murder conspiracy
No Recent News
No recent news articles found for this case. Check back later for updates.
No Evidence Submitted
No evidence found for this case. Be the first to submit evidence in the comments below.
Join the discussion
Loading comments...
Murder Plot Hatched
Shimen Liebowitz, Aharon Goldberg, and Binyamin Gottlieb conspire to kidnap and murder Joseph Masri.
Second Meeting Recorded
The conspirators meet again to finalize plans for kidnapping Masri, recorded by informant Joe Levin.
Payment Discussed
Liebowitz meets Levin to pay an additional $12,000 for the kidnapping plot.
Arrests Made
FBI arrests Goldberg and Liebowitz during a meeting where they discuss killing Masri.
Gottlieb Arrested
Binyamin Gottlieb is arrested at JFK Airport while attempting to flee to Ukraine.
Liebowitz Pleads Guilty
Shimen Liebowitz pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion.
Gottlieb Pleads Guilty
Binyamin Gottlieb pleads guilty to concealing a felony related to the murder plot.
Goldberg Pleads Guilty
Aharon Goldberg pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and murder-for-hire.
Sentencing
Goldberg sentenced to 3 years, Liebowitz to 2 years, and Gottlieb to 1 year probation.