New York, NY – Rabbi David Cohen has resigned as CEO of the Jewish volunteer ambulance service Chevra Hatzalah after being outed last week as one of the two unnamed co-conspirators in the Met Council scandal.
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The JEWISH DAILY FORWARD (http://bit.ly/1bkFKy4) reports that Cohen submitted his resignation on September 28, days after he was linked to the criminal complaint filed against William E. Rapfogel in a Manhattan Criminal Court last week.
Sources say Chevra Hatzalah’s governing board accepted Cohen’s resignation September 29th.
Records show Cohen collected a $183,000 salary from Hatzalah in 2011, $123,000 in 2010.
Cohen, who preceded Rapfogel as Met Council head, along with Joseph Ross, owner of Century Coverage Corporation, Met Council’s insurance broker, were identified as the two “unnamed” co-conspirators listed in the complaint against Rapfogel last week.
Prosecutors allege that Cohen and Ross actively conspired to put the scam in place before Rapfogel joined Met Council in 1992, and that the three bilked more than $5M from the charity over the course of the scheme.
Im wondering if he got insurance kickbacks when he was at hatzalah. The first major renovation at hatzolah was that every neighborhood gave up its insurance and joined central hatzalah policy
Its about time to stop writing the טיטול RABBI on every jew caught in a scandel…
where is the “chilul hashem brigade” is rapfogel & cohen to close for comfort?..
It is outrageous that the government “leaks” the names of so-called “unindicted co-conspirators”. What exactly is an unindicted co-conspirator? Apparently the government doesn’t need to go to all the trouble of charging someone with a crime when they can simply suggest that the person did something wrong but that this can’t be proved.
I have no idea whether Cohen is guility or not guilty but I do think he should either be charged with a crime, and be given the opportunity to defend himself, or be left alone.
He got a 50% raise in one year? At a non-profit volunteer agency? At a time when all charities were struggling to get donations? That’s practically criminal by itself.
Records show Cohen collected a $183,000 salary from Hatzalah in 2011, $123,000 in 2010.
That is an annual increase of $60,000, or 48.79% of his 2010 salary.
Who is watching over Hatzalah’s books? Who does their annual audit?
They should take Reb Mechel Handler back!
Why should any leader of any organization that takes tzeddaka funds get a salary in the 6 figures? This includes schools, chessed organizations, ect…
if you want to hire people who are qualified they will not work for bubkes
That comb over is for sure a crime. He should go to jail with his hair stylist just for that alone.
No more donations there for me and I have given thousands and thousands of dollars.
I though Hatzola was a voluntary organization? $180.000
So when I donate to Hatzhalah, this Cohen guy gets a cut – in addition to what he was skimming off Met Council? This man ought to personally apologize to all the Hatzalah members that selflessly sacrifice their precious time – for free. They’re working their tails off while this guy is living the good life.
Memo
To: Yidden Engaged in Schtick
From: The rest of Klal Yisroel
RE: Enough Already
I realize that it is far to early to conclude what the specific facts are of this situation. However, Jews who engage in this behavior in this age of a Medina Shel Chesed and constant media scrutiny are putting the entire kahal at risk for the sake of a few extra dollars they can spend on chumras and hiddurei mitzvah (and egos).
Hatzalah ran for many years without a CEO and without so many issues. The fancy name “CEO” seems to come with a hefty price tag.
“Prosecutors allege that Cohen and Ross actively conspired to put the scam in place before Rapfogel joined Met Council in 1992, and that the three bilked more than $5M from the charity over the course of the scheme.” Did they actually sit together and figure out, in detail, how they were going to do this? They planned and premeditated? How did they look at themselves in the mirror after they did this?
Sad, but true. I worked with them. It was all going to come out eventually. There will be much more to come. very very sad.