THE KESTENBAUM FAMILY 1999 to Today
Kestenbaum and Lamm – Two Jews (well, then there’s the rest of the Mishpachat Kestenbaum) and Dozens of Crimes (alleged crimes) between them, working together to own a Community and the Beholden Satmar
We would not have stumbled upon the name “Kestenbaum” and its significance in the Satmar community, Kiryas Joel, Bloomingburg, Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo, were it not for Shalom Lamm and our readers. We had not anticipated this particular story. Our readers were one step ahead. Hat tip to those who helped with this one…
The Kestenbaum family is synonymous with money laundering, fraud, underage girls and sexual abuse and a range of other questionable happenings around the globe: Romania, Florida, Switzerland just to name a few. They are known for their financing of the takeover in Bloomingburg, New York. They are also known for a very public fraud case involving Proctor & Gamble, in Ohio. The family has a lot of money, billions. We have no doubt that much of that comes from the blood, sweat and tears of our readers, either through Medicaid funds or through the ramifications of decisions made by beholden politicians. We find it hard to believe, however, that the whole lot of them are not sharing a cell somewhere.
Louis Kestenbaum and Joel Kestenbaum are essentially the Fortis Group. Please be reminded that Fortis is actually the group that manages nursing homes and medical facilities, many of which have been surrounded, unsurprisingly, by controversy. And, it should be noted the Kestenbaum duo (no, trio) are connected to de Blasio. It should come as no surprise that they are big supporters of Govovernor Cuomo and, along with Moshe Kestenbaum (and KJ official Mayer Hirsch) are no strangers to indictments.
As a side note, the CEO of Fortis is someone by the name of Jonathan Landau. It remains to be seen if he is related to the Joel Landau of Rivington fame.
Moshe Kestenbaum along with his family (mentioned in previous paragraph) runs the ODA Health Center. ODA is supported by tons and tons of Medicaid Funds. Moshe Kestenbaum has also given substantial donations to both Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo.
In 2005, Moshe Kestenbaum, Louis Kestenbaum and Mayer Hirsch signed a plea agreement in Ohio related to a Proctor & Gamble case from 1999 all mentioned below.
Cuomo contributors vie for control of hospital on prime real estate
Two of the top contenders for taking over the ailing medical center’s Cobble Hill property are big-time donors to the 2014 re-election campaign of Governor Andrew Cuomo — who controls the levers that will determine the facility’s fate.
The Guv’s bid for another term has accepted $17,500 from the Kestenbaum family, founders of the Fortis Property Group — which was the state university system’s first pick to take over the hospital. Fortis’s plan was to rip the hospital down and replace it with a condo complex that would include a so-called “medical mall,” featuring an urgent care center, dentist offices, and surgery facilities, but no emergency room. The state ultimately ruled against this proposal, but insiders say Fortis remains the frontrunner in the new auction.
Fortis president Joel Kestenbaum gave the Cuomo campaign $5,000 last November, while his uncle Moshe — who is not a partner in the firm — gave $12,500 in Jan. 2014. The Kestenbaums run the Oda Health Center in Williamsburg.
A Fortis spokesman pointed out that the contributions were completely legal, and denied they had anything to do with the battle for the property.
“Any suggestion that political contributions are linked to the competition for LICH is unfounded and absurd,” said spokesman Ross Wallenstein.
The Kestenbaums are not the only bidders ponying cash for Cuomo. Stephen Ross, founder of The Related Companies — who joined forces with the Brooklyn Hospital Center to submit a rivalproposal for the property — gave Cuomo $5,000 last year. A Related spokeswoman pointed out Ross made the contribution months before his business got involved in the bidding process, and has not made any donations since.
BY PHILLIP PINA
“A federal grand jury handed down five indictments Thursday against one Swiss and four New York City businessmen they say defrauded Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble.
The group is accused of conspiring to buy $5.5 million in goods from P&G to be exported to new markets in the former Soviet Union. Instead, the products went to a Brooklyn warehouse and were later sold in the United States for about $9.7 million, prosecutors said.
Facing charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering: Joel Schoenfeld, 50; Louis Kestenbaum, 48; Moshe Kestenbaum, 41; Mayer Hirsch, 49, all of New York City, and Moses Kraus, 59, of Zurich, Switzerland.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 180 years in prison, nearly $2.3 million in fines and restitution. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $5.5 million the group is accused of laundering with Swiss bank accounts.
P&G filed a civil suit against the group in the early 1990s and settled the case to their satisfaction in 1995, said company spokesman Simon Denegri. Federal investigators began looking into the case for any criminal wrong doing.
The indictment says in 1991 Mr. Schoenfeld negotiated a deal with P&G under the pretense the products were to be exported to the emerging markets of the former Soviet Union. It was later learned that the Kestenbaums, New York wholesal ers, financed the deal and Mr. Schoenfeld turned the products over to them.
P&G sold the products to the group based on prices for emerging markets like those in the former Soviet Union. The products were shipped to a Brooklyn warehouse, operated by Mr. Hirsh, where they were to be repacked and sent overseas. The products instead were sold to U.S. wholesalers, prosecutors said.
Mr. Kraus is accused of setting up a Panamanian company, Sudo Import, the group said was the buyer of the products in the former Soviet Union. Mr. Kraus moved money through Swiss and other bank accounts to purchase the products to support the export pretense, prosecutors said.
No trial date has been set. U.S. District Judge Herman J. Weber was assigned the case. The Swiss government will be consulted about the extradition of Mr. Kraus.”
Additional Sources:
Developer Lamm sues Wurtsboro – Times Herald-Record – Discussion …
www.topix.com › New York › Sullivan County › Wurtsboro
May 19, 2014 – Developer Lamm sues Wurtsboro.
Orthodox Developer Shalom Lamm Ruled Ineligible To Vote … Apr 3, 2014
Satmar group to buy shuttered Otisville school – Times Herald … Dec 12, 2013
100 join Bloomingburg rally to protest housing development … Nov 4, 2013
