The Jewish Indiana Jones (Menachem Youlus)

[fortinbras]

I am very grateful for this update and explanation.

[jimmy377]

How can anyone support this man when there are no records that he traveled to places he claimed he did and he has no records to prove it?

Read the story of the BTK Killer. While I'm not suggesting an equivalent crime, this man was part of the community before he was arrested. No one thought him able to do the things he apparently did.

I contributed to this man's Save-A-Torah cause based on his story. It wasn't large, but I certainly feel cheated. I don't want to hear that he had good intentions that went bad. Apparently, he made a good living off his bookstore business and he wasn't in dire need of money as he portrayed himself.

[Demosthenes]

He embezzled donations to Save a Torah, and used money from the charity for his personal enrichment, notwithstanding his representations that he received no salary or financial benefit from his work for Save a Torah.

And using the Holocaust to steal from his donors is a special kind of yuck.

[wserra]

According to today's Times, yesterday Youlus pleaded guilty to two 20-year fraud counts, with a Guideline of 51-63 months. There is nothing yet on PACER; if anything there adds to the details of the Times' account, I'll post it when it appears.

[fortinbras]

Thank you very much. This is very painful to everyone who knows and trusted him.

[wserra]

I understand. It's one thing to know in the abstract that affinity fraud exists. It's another thing entirely to find out that someone you know and trust has been running one.

[wserra]

Sentencing now scheduled for June 21, 2012. Youlus remains free on bond.

[wserra]

Sentencing adjourned to October 11, 2012. Youlus remains free on bond.

[fortinbras]

I am EXTREMELY GRATEFUL for these updates.

I might add that Menachem's father, a lovely gentleman who sold me and my wife our wedding rings 15 years ago, and has an encyclopedic mind of Jewish knowledge, seems to have aged twenty years in just the past two or three years.

Many Quatloosians probably think I am an idiot about this, but I will probably correspond and perhaps visit Menachem while he is in durance vile.

[wserra]

I might add that Menachem's father, a lovely gentleman who sold me and my wife our wedding rings 15 years ago, and has an encyclopedic mind of Jewish knowledge, seems to have aged twenty years in just the past two or three years.

I can understand that too. It's hard to imagine the feelings of a parent whose child abuses the beliefs the parent holds dear.

Many Quatloosians probably think I am an idiot about this, but I will probably correspond and perhaps visit Menachem while he is in durance vile.

I don't think you're an idiot at all. Such letters and visits mean a lot to inmates, and Youlus will in all likelihood be serving a sentence of at least four years. That's a long time for someone who has never been in jail. The idiots are those friends and family who tell the inmates that they did nothing wrong, or - worse yet - that they're really freedom fighters.

[wserra]

According to an article in today's Times, yesterday Youlus was sentenced to "just over four years" (what's wrong with reporting the actual sentence?), and just shy of $1M in restitution. Since the Guideline was 51-63 months, this represents the bottom of the range. Although the Times article doesn't report on this either, typically someone like Youlus would be permitted to surrender directly to the facility BOP designates, in a month or so, so as not to have to go through the Marshall's transport system.

FWIW, that strikes me as about right. With no parole in the federal system - only good time - if Youlus received 51 months, he would serve 3.5 years. For someone with no record, that's no slap on the wrist. OTOH, a clergyman using religion to perpetrate a fraud upon believers is seriously reprehensible. The balance seems right.

Nothing yet in PACER. If it adds anything, I'll report it.

[fortinbras]

I am very grateful for your update. I appreciate greatly your analysis. Having known Youlus his personal characteristics may have helped him get minimum time: He certainly is not physically tough, his appearance practically begs for someone to bully him, but his education and mental abilities - and his patience with people and willingness to share his enormous wealth of knowledge - indicate that he could serve the community in much better ways than sewing mail bags.

I realize that he is a criminal but this is one of those instances of "he seemed like such a nice guy" that people read about in the papers.

[wserra]

Per the PACER minute entry: the sentence was in fact the Guideline minimum of 51 months. Youlus will be allowed to surrender to the designated facility, which the DJ recommended to be FCI Otisville, in Orange County northwest of NYC. I used to go there all the time; it's in a very pretty spot. The Court recommended it for Youlus in part "to accommodate defendants religious dietary requirements". Otisville has an Orthodox inmate population; one of the stranger sights I've seen is prayers going on in a corner of the visiting room of a federal prison, a bunch of guys (some in orange prison jumpsuits, others in the familiar long black coats and hats) with beards and long sideburns davening. I know, I know, those are the ultra-Orthodox.

Special conditions of supervised release (following the prison term) include 100 hours of community service somewhere other than in his own community, and barring him from "engaging in any undertaking that involves defendant soliciting funds or in any way holding or managing other peoples money". All in all, given what he did, I don't think Youlus has any grounds to complain.

[wserra]

It appears that Youlus has in fact been designated to Otisville, and has been directed to surrender there by December 17, 2012. All and all, Otisville is a good place for him. In addition to the Orthodox population and kosher kitchen, it has a satellite camp, and is not that far (under two hour drive) from NYC.

He consented to an order of restitution/forfeiture just short of $1M.

[wserra]

MENACHEM YOULUS 65614-054 51-White-M 08-26-2016 OTISVILLE FCI

. . . meaning that Youlus was in fact designated to Otisville, and is there now, with a release date of August 26, 2016. Space permitting, he will likely be moved to the satellite camp within a year.

[fortinbras]

I am very grateful for this update, and I will probably write to him. Unfortunately I probably won't be able to visit since I don't drive and can't think of anyone (wife included) who would drive two hours past NYC to enable me to visit.

His bookstore, which was a veritable center of learning for me and many others, has closed, and the Jewish community is much poorer for that.

[Lambkin]

Shuttle buses take family members from the city to prisons throughout the area and upstate. This is a very common need.