Manhattan, NY – A diamond dealer who pulled off one of the most elaborate scams in the industry’s history will be sprung from prison early under a new appellate court decision.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Norman Schonfeld scammed more than $6 million in diamonds from almost a dozen wholesalers in 2001 – and then blamed his son, court records show.
The son testified against Schonfeld, and after an eight-week trial, the con artist was convicted of 40 crimes. He was sentenced to pay nearly $6 million in restitution and has served nearly five years of a 16-to-32-year prison sentence.
In a 3-to-2 decision, the court reduced his sentence to 8-1/2-to-17 years. He could get out of prison as early as 2011.
The majority called the original sentence “excessive.” The opposing judges wrote a scathing dissent, calling Schonfeld “a fraud and recidivist with no qualms about casting blame on others, including his own son, to save his own neck.”
I say let him serve out the original sentence. Anyone who could blame their own son to save himself deserves everything he gets.
“and then blamed his son,” Gee… thanks dad! Sad.
What people don’t realize is=he’s done this on at least two separate occasions!!
he should sit as long as possible. he is dangorus. he did this a few times till the last time they nailed him.
Most fathers would sit in prison than to have their son sit in prison.
Are you guys jewish? Have you gone insane?
Since when is the punishment for stealing confinement in a cage for the majority of one’s life?
Perhaps you guys better brush up on the Talmud; I am pretty sure you will find that he should have to pay double what he stole.
And who are you guys to Judge anyway? Do you go on the internet at work? That’s stealing from the employer…tsk tsk
Do you double park? Stealing peoples time?
Who made you the judge to determine that a persons life can be taken away because of a theft crime?
And don’t even start with the argument of severity of the theft warranting such serious punishment. The Torah makes no distinction and you scum are in no position to legitimately try to debate the reasoning of the Torah.
In the event defendant cannot pay Double what he stole, he should be a permanent Eved for the victim until the money is paid back. but to sit in jail with rapists and drug dealers?