Monsey: The FBI Raids Chareidi Homes

Dozens of federal agents, in conjunction with Rockland police raided a number of homes and schools in Monsey on Wednesday, looking for files and evidence on a large scale scandal. A similar investigation took place simultaneously in Kiryat Yoel.
The evidence they are seeking is related to a federal program called E-Rate, which was established in 1988 to provide funding to schools to purchase equipment for computer labs with internet access.
It is suspected that although many chareidi schools joined the program and received large sums of money to purchase computers and set up quick internet access – that in fact they did not do so and used the money for other purposes instead.
Involved in this scandal are a number of higher ups from Rockland County and Rampo who are suspected of taking bribes to transfer the funding to the schools.
The first time that the suspicion arouse that funds were not being used for the specific purpose for which they were allocated was in a write up in The Jewish Press back in 2013, following which the Jewish Week also wondered about how such large sums were given to Chassidish schools for these purposes if they do not allow their students any access to computers or internet.
This brought about an investigation that revealed that those funds were not used properly. There is now a claim for reimbursement of $900,000.
In an interview with the Jewish Week, Peretz Klein, a business man who supplies many schools in the area with computer equipment, praised the federal program which he feels has truly enabled many schools and Yeshivos to establish computer labs in order to provide a modern computer education to their students. “The program has helped many Yeshivos”, Says Klein, who has officially sold thousands of dollars worth of equipment to mosdos thanks E-Rate.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!