Zeev Rosenstein's wife Yvonne said Friday that the extradited underworld kingpin has agreed to sign a plea bargain with US authorities in Miami.
The Justice Ministry's spokesman Moshe Cohen, confirmed that talks are being held with Rosenstein regarding a plea bargain. Sources at the Justice Ministry expect thay Rosenstein will confess this coming Tuesday and be sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Rosenstein, 51, was extradited about 10 months ago to American authorities after an indictment was issued against him in Miami after a police operation revealed that he allegedly headed a drug ring that pushed millions of ecstasy pills from Israel to the United States and Australia, through Europe.
During a court hearing in May, Rosenstein denied the allegations against him.
“Zeev will come to Israel, he will go on leaves and we will be able to see him,” Yvonne said. “He will not serve the full 12 years, because the term will be reduced by a third, G-d willing. The most important thing is that he’ll be close to us. Now I can marry my children off.”
'I sent him a prayer book'
Asked whether she is pleased over the plea bargain, Yvonne said, “I am not very sad about it. There is someone who is watching over us from above; we are happy and must bless the good as well as the bad.”
Last month Ynet reported that the Israeli Ministry of Justice held preliminary negotiations with Rosenstein's American lawyer in an attempt to draw up a plea bargain.
As part of the plea bargain, Rosenstein was expected to admit to some of the charges brought against him, Israeli police officials said at the time.
The officials said the Justice Ministry realized that there is a chance under the American justice system that the Florida court won't convict Rosenstein. In order to minimize this risk, the ministry decided to initiate preliminary negotiations with Rosenstein's American legal representation, they said.
At the beginning of January Yvonne Rosenstein appeared before a crowd of women at Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue and said, “I speak with him (Zeev) two or three times a day; we give him strength and he does the same for us. I sent him a prayer book, a tallit and phylacteries; that is what he asked for, and that is all that is permitted to bring into the federal prison there.
“Two weeks ago I had the privilege of donating a Torah book in my husband’s honor; I hope that with G-d’s help he will come to Israel in two weeks and pick up that book,” she said.
Avi Cohen contributed to the report