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Assi Abutbul
Photo: Yaron Brener
Crime boss gets 13 years in jail
Court convicts Assi Abutbul, 19 of his associates of various racketeering, money laundering and extortion offenses, finds four defendants not guilty
The Tel Aviv District Court on Monday found Assi Abutbul, head of the Abutbul crime syndicate, guilty of racketeering and money laundering, and sentenced him to 13 years in prison and two years probation. The State Prosecutor's Office originally asked for a 25-year jail term.
Nineteen of Abutbul's associates were also convicted for similar offenses, as well as for extortion, and sentenced to various prison terms.
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Abutbul's crimes, said the court, "Are not only ugly by nature, but they mean to chip away at the norms of society."
The sentencing hearing was held under unprecedented security. Family members crowded the courtroom The court, and all had to go through a metal detector prior to entering the hall. Ruckus broke out after the judges read the verdict for the record, as several upset relatives began shouting and cussing them.
The trial saw 24 defendants charged with various racketeering offenses. The court found 20 of them guilty, with two – Albert Sitbon and Gabriel Assor, convicted of heading a crime syndicate.
Sitbon was sentenced to 11 years in prison, a year's probation and a $38,000 fine; and Assor was sentenced to eight years in prison, a year's probation and a $38,000 fine.
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Packed courtroom (Photo: Yaron Brener)
Two of the case's other lead defendants, Attorney Barak Bofman and David Zuaretz, were sentenced to five and seven years in prison respectively. Both were also ordered to pay a $38,000 fine.
Eight defendants were sentenced to one to three years in prison, seven defendants were sentenced to community service and four were found not guilty.
"The extortion and intimidation offenses in this case are grave," said the court. "The events detailed before us were appalling. Members of this crime organization and their associates were extorting fortunes from their victims, who were left petrified and powerless against them.
"The plaintiffs were so fearful of the defendants that they rejected any possibility of seeking the police's help... These are thugs who terrorized their surroundings while robbing people terrified for their safety and that of their families," said the court.
Abutbul and his associates' offenses, added the court, "are not only ugly by nature, but they mean to chip away at the norms of society and the rule of law and order."
The prosecution, however, was disappointed with the sentencing: "We thought the punishment should have been harsher," Attorney Keren Bar-Menachem told Ynet. "But nevertheless, the court did order lengthy jail terms. The court also sent a message to complainants – testifying in court yields results."
Attorney Yair Regev, for Abutbul, said he would appeal his client's sentence with the Supreme Court.
