Thanks to a Brooklyn lawyer, a scam in the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn has been exposed.

The victims were the Herzog family, the largest kosher winemakers in the world, according to the New York Daily News.

The family was distributing checks to people collecting donations for yeshivas and charities. The checks would be deposited in the U.S., and then the cash would be taken to Israel.

A senior law enforcement official reportedly told the Daily News that if an organization is not a legitimate charity or if other people are receiving any part of the donation, it’s illegal.

The Herzogs closed their account about a year about when they were tipped off that some of the solicitors may have been illegitimate. This resulted in bounced checks, which had those attempting to cash those checks asking questions.

The Herzog family hired a Satmar Hasid in Williamsburg, Elimelech Horowitz, to look into the issue. He was given cash to settle some of the donation claims.

On May 3, Horowitz claimed he was kidnapped then released by masked men demanding $35,000. Soon after, the Herzogs received a threatening phone message urging them to pay the $35,000.

A male voice in the recording reportedly said, “I know where you live; I know where you work; I know where your family lives.”

A private investigator hired by the family set them up with armed security and referred them to George Farkas, a lawyer with experience in the Orthodox Jewish community, including the case of Nechemya Weberman, convicted of sex abuse last year.

Farkas reportedly could immediately tell the abduction story was fraudulent.

The first indication was the caller mispronouncing “Shabbat,” the Jewish day of rest. The recipients of the Herzog money were Jewish, so it was unlikely they would mispronounce a Jewish holy day.

Farkas called Horowitz to his office, and told the Daily News that Horowitz confessed within 20 minutes: There had been no kidnapping, and Horowitz had been pocketing the money he’d been given to settle claims.

“He hired some schmuck on the corner to make the threats,” Farkas told the News.

The Herzog family gave a statement expressing sadness “that we were victimized for no other reason than our charitable generosity.”

But the Herzogs are reportedly not pressing charges because Horowitz promised to pay back the money he extorted.

Another source reportedly told the Daily News there may be other victims scammed by solicitors from Israel who hire drivers to use false sad stories to solicit money from wealthy Jewish families. The checks are subsequently cashed by a yeshiva or charity, the driver gets a cut and the rest is sent back to Israel, according to the Daily News report.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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One Fund Boston administrator Kenneth Feinberg said the charity hasn’t raised enough money to fully compensate the Boston Marathon bombing victims.

“There’s not enough money here to pay everybody,” Feinberg said at a town hall meeting Tuesday. “When you look at the horror that happened here in Boston — the horror, the number of deaths, the number of horrible physical injuries, the number of people still in the hospital today — I assure you based on everything I’ve done in the past, including 9/11, there isn’t enough money to pay everybody who justifiably expects it or needs it. There’s not enough money.”

So far, the One Fund Boston has collected more than $29 million in cash and pledges. Feinberg, a Brockton native, now faces what he said were “choices that come, I think, right out of the Bible in determining who gets what.”

Drawing on his experience overseeing funds that compensated victims after events such as the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the theater shooting in Aurora, Col., Feinberg ran public meetings this week that were part therapy session and part wealth-management seminar.

His main goal was getting input on how he should resolve difficult questions such as whether One Fund will pay benefits to victims who require mental healthcare — as the Aurora fund did not — or whether to give rich and poor victims the same benefits. Means-testing could provide more fairness, but could also take more time, Feinberg said.

Standing outside the Boston Public Library afterward, just steps from where the explosions took place, Feinberg said running the other funds taught him to focus on outcomes.

“You have to hold these town hall meetings, you have to tell people what you can do and what you can’t do,” he said. “People want certainty.”

Feinberg has already proposed that payments be prioritized for the families of the dead and the most seriously injured. He plans to distribute all the money in the fund by June 30, a goal set when he was asked by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to take the job.

A fund organizer, Karen Kaplan, president of the Hill Holliday advertising firm, said One Fund was set up in part to avoid the compensation confusion that sprang up after the shootings in Newtown, Conn., in December that left 20 students and six teachers dead.

Newtown officials identified more than 60 funds raising money on behalf of victims or projects after the tragedy. Families of some mass-shooting victims worried some funds were holding on to money unnecessarily and suggested creating a national fund for future incidents.

Some of those proponents praised Feinberg’s Boston efforts.

“It’s exactly what should happen,” said Scott Larimer, whose son John died in Aurora. “You’re going to use Ken Feinberg’s formula for distribution. It’s the money donated by the American public for sympathy and compassion, and here’s your money.”

Tuesday’s meeting drew a number of bombing victims, who thanked Feinberg for his work.

One was Wayne Gilchist of Cambridge, who showed his two heavily bandaged wrists and hands at the meeting. One was injured during the bombing and the second in a seizure he said was brought on by psychological distress after the attack.

“It’s putting so much stress on me,” he said. One hand was broken “because of what I saw right outside this door.”

Later he repeated one of Feinberg’s points, that funds should be distributed quickly.

“It’s got to be in a fast manner,” he said. “The families are suffering. I’m suffering.”

Also at the meeting was Bentley Mattier, who said he flew back to Boston from Atlanta to help his family after an aunt lost her leg in the attack. Like Gilchrist, he said sooner is better.

“I’d like for my aunt to be compensated immediately. Those hospital bills are coming in immediately,” he added.

Follow Metro Boston on Twitter: @MetroBos

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Oh man. This is not good. I mean, in the spectrum of not good things, this ranks pretty much at the top: Lamar Odom and wife Khloe Kardashian’s charity for kids with cancer looks like a scam. That’s right: They are fleecing kids with cancer. The only thing worse than scamming kids with cancer? Scamming kids with AIDS. That’s it. There’s nothing worse. (OK, maybe scamming orphans with AIDS and/or cancer, but that’s really it.)

A new report by ESPN (and this marks the first time ESPN has been mentioned in this column) says Odom’s charity, Cathy’s Kids, which started in 2004 in honor of Odom’s mother who died from stomach cancer, has raised $2.2 million, but not one cent has gone to cancer-related causes. Instead, it seems like the money has gone to two things: the charity’s “executive,” Jerry DeGregorio, who happened to be the best man in Kardashian’s and Odom’s wedding, and two elite youth basketball travel teams. It’s important to note that none of the kids in that elite basketball team seems to be battling cancer in between traveling to games.

When approached by ESPN, Odom brushed off the allegations with, “It’s my money.”

Actually, if you raise $2.2 million by having people donate their cash to help children with cancer, it’s not your money. I swear. Do I have to go to Hollywood myself to teach these people how to act?

Lohan in Brazil and jokes that she is pregnant
Lindsay Lohan made a very last-minute decision to continue her adventures in Brazil this week, making her way to the São Paulo airport for a flight back to New York only to opt out of getting on the plane, according to E! News. While her manager took the flight as planned, Lohan reportedly checked herself into the Emiliano Hotel with a female friend. “She’s staying on her own dime,” a source say. “She is staying against everyone’s advice.” Lohan’s promotional trip to Brazil for a denim company was to be followed by a quick trip to NYC before heading to L.A. for the Coachella Music Festival and then 90 days of court-ordered rehab. The extended vacation also gave Lohan a chance to get in on the fun of pulling an April Fools’ Day prank on her Twitter followers, posting, “It’s official. Pregnant…” and drawing a flood of shocked reactions. Maybe some of her fans didn’t realize it was a joke because, on the East Coast at least, it was no longer April 1 when the tweet went up. You know, despite everything, I used to like Lohan, but doing an April Fools’ Day joke that reached its pinnacle in 2009 on my Facebook timeline? Unforgivable.

Mayer zips his lips (for once)
John Mayer seems to have turned over a new leaf when it comes to dishing on ex-girlfriends, as in a recent interview with Ellen DeGeneres when he did not rise to her attempts to discuss his recent split from Katy Perry. “It was a very private relationship going in, it was a private relationship during and it’s a private relationship still,” Mayer said. “I can understand asking the question based on some previous answers I have given, but I have finally learned how to put the wall between one thing and the other.” The best DeGeneres could glean from the singer was a rather vague, “I’m on the same journey as everyone else. Coupling is a tricky thing.”

Bieber’s friends love a good time — on his dime
It turns out Justin Bieber doesn’t even have to be home to show his friends a good time. According to E! News, about four male pals have been crashing at Bieber’s L.A. home and throwing some pretty raucous parties in his absence. “The music is loud and everything, but where it is, the homes are so spread apart and so big, so I don’t know how they would be able to hear,” a source says. “They probably complain because when people come up, there are like 20 cars. That was a crazy party. We were just drinking and doing our thing.” The houseguests living it up while Bieber continues his European tour include rappers Lil Twist and King Kevi. And from what the source says, the house sounds like a teenager’s dream: “Right when you open the front door, there is an arcade room, basketball machines, a couple Pac-Mans, ping-pong table,” the source says.

Berry and Martinez in paparazzi fight
Halle Berry and fiance Olivier Martinez had a pretty rough homecoming after their Hawaiian vacation when Martinez got into a bit of a scuffle with paparazzi outside LAX, according to TMZ. Martinez allegedly kicked a photographer in the leg and wrist as he, Berry and Berry’s daughter, Nahla attempted to exit the airport, with Berry reportedly imploring the swarm of shutterbugs, “Get away, there’s a child.” Once Nahla was safely in their waiting SUV, Martinez reportedly stormed back to kick the photographer again before being pulled away by Berry.

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The family of the slain teen has raised about $100,000 in donations that will go toward establishing a criminal justice advocacy foundation in Trayvon Martin’s name. Supporters made the donations through wepay.com and at rallies for Trayvon Martin. Martin’s parents will head the foundation at salaries equivalent to what they are making now, according to Slate.

Zimmerman launched his own site about three weeks ago, just before he was charged with murder. The rudimentary site was at the center of attention for its elementary design and personal plea from Zimmerman for financial support in the wake of the controversy surrounding the shooting, which prevented him from working. The site has since been taken down, but not before Zimmerman’s supporters donated nearly a quarter million dollars towards his legal fees and living expenses.

While the donations for the Martin family are going towards establishing a charity — a distinct difference from donations for Zimmerman, which are going towards legal fees — it comes as a surprise to many that Martin’s family has only raised half the amount that Zimmerman raised.

Public support has been overwhelmingly in favor of Trayvon Martin, but what do these donation amounts mean? Does the fact that Martin’s family didn’t raise as much as Zimmerman indicate a wider shift in public support as Zimmerman prepares to head into a trail that will no doubt be historic? 

The post George Zimmerman has raised twice as much as Trayvon Martin’s family appeared first on Metro.us.

Lopez told Metro that while traveling as a DJ, he was touched by the underprivileged children he met.
Live Love Dance is a one-man show entirely run by Lopez. Although he receives some help from family and friends, he is in charge of most of the responsibilities.

Live Love Dance helps children in a variety of ways. It’s partnered with Metro to collect toys for kids in New York City. In the past, Lopez has worked with children in hospitals, providing them gifts, books and toys, and this Halloween, he DJed a free dance party for kids in New Jersey.

To raise money, Lopez sells T-shirts he designed on Livelovedance.org. He is also planning a fundraising holiday dinner next month.

“I personally think kids are often the ones that don’t have a voice and don’t have a say in things,” Lopez said. “I want to be their voice to ask for help on their behalf.”

The post Live, love, play: Making magic appeared first on Metro.us.

Every year the Marines deliver toys to charities, churches and even to the NYPD to distribute.

Sgt. Eric Worth, of the New York division of Toys for Tots, said they focus on collecting gifts for infants and kids up to 12 years old.

“There’s really no stipulation on the type of gift, as long as it’s new, unopened, and unwrapped,” he said.
Demand is particularly high this year, and funds are short, Sgt. Worth said, mainly due to the lingering economic recession.

“Unfortunately the national economy is definitely a concern,” he said.

The post Behind the scenes at Toys for Tots appeared first on Metro.us.

Metro first launched Metro Magic last year, in New York only. We were so overwhelmed by the generosity of Metro readers that this year, for the first time ever, we are launching the toy drive in Boston and Philadelphia as well. Toys raised from readers in each city will only go to nonprofits in that city.

We are again partnering with Toys for Tots, the nonprofit run by the U.S. Marines. As they did last year, the Marines will come to our office in mid-December to pick up the toys and distribute them to the hundreds of charities they partner with. This year, we are also partnering with two other nonprofits in New York: The Food Bank For New York City, which is hosting a Christmas dinner for needy families, and Live Love Dance, a nonprofit that helps city kids.

Starting today, and running all through this month and December, we will remind readers to give. So keep an eye out for the Metro Magic logo daily.

This season, we hope you will remember the thousands of children who will be spending the holidays in homeless shelters and safe houses, or who simply may not have that many gifts to open under the Christmas tree. One gift can make a big difference.

What is Toys for Tots?

Toys for Tots started in 1947, when a group of U.S. Marine reservists got together and cleaned up small toys and gave them away to needy families. Now it’s one of the biggest nonprofits in the nation. Toys for Tots works by giving away the toys they collect to other nonprofits. For example, every year one-third of the toys they collect goes to the NYPD, which distributes them. Last year they got 600 requests from charities to receive toys and have drop-off boxes set up throughout the city. 

What to give?

Metro is collecting new, unwrapped gifts, not clothes. Things like action figures, dolls, board games, and sports toys like a football are always good. And don’t forget about older children, ages 11 and up. An older child would love to receive an MP3 player, a make-up kit or a poster from their favorite “Twilight” movie this year. And you don’t have to give much. Spending $10 or $20 on a toy or two for a needy child can make a big difference. 

How to take part

1. Look for the Metro Magic logo on our website:

2: One click on the logo will take you to a “Wish List” we have set up via a secure link on ToysRUs.com. Once there, you can see all the toys we’ve already requested for kids and more are being added daily. Simply select the toys you want and purchase them. That’s it!

Selecting only the toys on our Wish List ensures that all the gifts will be shipped to our offices and then picked up by the Marines.
 
If you donate, e-mail us at charity@metro.us letting us know what you gave and we’ll shout out a “thank-you” in the paper!

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As October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the disease is unfortunately something all too familiar to Queens resident Lisa Fusco.

Her mother, Long Island resident Barbara Vernale, was diagnosed with breast cancer twice and her father, Michael, survived prostate cancer. Fusco herself is also a breast cancer survivor. She is just 28 years old.

In December 2009, just four months after her wedding, Fusco was diagnosed with cancer after her husband found a lump in her breast. The next several weeks were a frenzy of tests and a desperate search to find the right doctors. She had a mastectomy with reconstruction, as well as chemotherapy.

Fusco credits her family’s support in helping her beat the disease.

“I’m extremely close to my brothers and my parents,” she said. “Any time anything major happens in our lives, we’re in it together. My mom, since she went through it also, was constantly by my side.”

Even though Fusco’s diagnosis of cancer at such a young age is uncommon, she knew she needed to raise awareness and help find a cure.

Fusco started Pink Party, an annual party to raise money for Komen for the Cure. On Sept. 18, at the 21st annual Komen Greater NYC Race for the Cure, Fusco was honored with the Survivor of the Year award, and her father was given the Co-Survivor of the Year. This is the first time members of the same family have been recognized.

“He was shocked and speechless,” Fusco said of her dad. “It meant a lot.”

Get involved
   
Fusco will continue fundraising through October. So far, she has raised $15,210. Donations can be made at Lisaspinkparty.com
   
On Oct. 1 and 8, GrowNYC is collecting nonperishable foods for towns in the Catskills devastated by Irene. Items can be dropped off at the Grand Army Plaza farmers market.

The post Metro giving: Family fights cancer together appeared first on Metro.us.

“I was devastated,” recalled Mittman, now 57. “I dropped out of college and started unloading trucks at the local Wal-Mart.”

But after six months, Mittman decided to go back to school. He used a reel-to-reel tape recorder to record his lessons and got his diploma.

He went on to found one of the largest accessories design and manufacturing companies in the industry, Cipriani, based here in New York. His firm makes leather goods and jewelry for brands such as Calvin Klein and Michael Kors.

Today, Mittman is a trustee for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, which raises money for sight-saving research. He also speaks to people all over the world and shares his story. “I talk about what happens when things don’t go your way and how you react,” he said. “All of us need to figure out how to make the best of every day.”

Get involved

Want to get involved?

Upcoming charity events  in the city:

Wednesday, May 25: The Foundation Fighting Blindness will host its Dinner in the Dark gala tomorrow night at the Ritz-Carlton in Battery Park.

It’s the usual fundraising   affair with a twist: For 30 minutes, the ballroom will be plunged into darkness so people can experience what it’s like to be without sight. Also, all the servers will be blind, said Mittman.

Tickets are still available for the gala and can be purchased through www.blindness.org.

The post Helping others see their future clearly appeared first on Metro.us.

When Yuki Kotani’s father came to New York from Japan to receive a heart transplant, she was by his side constantly at New York-Presbyterian. And yet she counted herself one of the lucky ones.

“I was running in and out after work but at least I had a comfortable bed to go home to at night and recharge,” said Yuki, 27. “I literally saw people sleeping, eating and living in waiting rooms for days at a time.”

“For a lot of these patients, this is their last chance. They’ve drained all their money, either on the surgery or just to get to New York for the surgery,” said Yuki. “And then they have to stay in a hotel — and hotel prices in New York are just ridiculous.”

Yuki met Michelle Javian, also 27, whose father had also recently had heart surgery, and together the two  came up with the idea for Harboring Hearts.

“There is Ronald McDonald House for kids, there is Hope Lodge for adults with cancer. But there are really no affordable housing options for heart patients who need it,” Yuki explained. “If families of a heart patient could have a comfortable place to stay for just one night, even if they come in from as nearby as Long Island, it would make a big difference.”

Starting a nonprofit when you’re under 30 is not easy.

“We started right when the financial crisis hit, so it was hard,” Yuki admits. But they focused on small donors and young professionals, holding golf outings and cocktail parties to raise money.

Right now, they’ve been able to help one family at a time. For example, a young mother from Trinidad recently came to New York because her twin 3-year-old boys both needed heart transplants.

“She spent all her money to come here, so she was sleeping in the same room as her children at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital,” said Yuki. Later, the family ended up in a homeless shelter.

Harboring Hearts raised $2,000 to help get the family into an apartment in Queens, and continues to pay their rent, food and phone bills.

“We’re starting small; we’re waiting for the bigger donors to come.”

Safe harbor

Harboring Hearts will hold a winter cocktail party at the Rubin Museum of Art in Chelsea on Feb. 24 from 9-11 p.m.

» NY Pops will perform, with an open bar, hors d’œuvres and desserts.
» VIP ticket-holders should arrive at 8:30 for a tour of the museum.
» Tickets are $100; VIP for $250. Buy tickets at www.harboringhearts.org

The post Metro Giving: Have a heart appeared first on Metro.us.

Friends’ muggings made Milano, 23, fear early morning treks home from the downtown tapas bar where she bartends.

“Sometimes when it’s 2 a.m., you don’t want to be on the subway with all the crazies,” she said, adding that a $25 cab tab takes a chunk from her tips.

So early one Saturday morning, she called RightRides, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit offering free rides home to single women and LGBTQ people.

The group, which started in 2004, just added service on Fridays and expanded to 45 neighborhoods in four boroughs. They hope to reach more areas, but first are raising money for a new $10,000 dispatch system.

Founder Oraia Reid, 34, started the group after horrific attacks against women walking home alone in Williamsburg, where she lived. “Rather than shut myself off, I really wanted to do something,” she said.

She began giving people lifts on her own, and soon two volunteers became 200 — all who help New Yorkers vulnerable to gender-based violence get home safely.

Milano’s ride to Astoria seemed lavish — no cabdriver haggling and pleasant chatter with Jes Howen, 25, a volunteer for the midnight-to-3 a.m. shift. Howen, too, confessed nighttime nerves.

“For me, taking the subway isn’t as bad as the walk,” she said.

Volunteers like Howen pick up transgender people, gay men and often young women like Milano, waiting to ensure passengers get inside their home.

By the numbers

3,000
People shuttled home since 2004

7-10
Calls on Friday nights

10-15
Calls on Saturday nights

$0
Cost for Ride

160
Active volunteers as of January 2010

200
Active volunteers as of January 2011

Sign up to volunteer or donate at rightrides.org. Call for a ride at 888-215-SAFE.

Get involved

» Jan. 22: Sixth annual tribute to James McNaughton, a NYPD officer killed in Iraq. Stop by Mulcahy’s Pub & Concert Hall in Wantagh, LI, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. for free food and music.
» Jan. 23: Ladies, you have until Jan. 23 to sign up for the NYC Alzheimer’s Association’s first annual “Blondes vs. Brunettes Tackle Alzheimer’s” flag-football game. To sign up, visit www.alz.org/nyc.
» Feb. 3: Cocktail party at Apella to benefit Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a no-fee camp for kids with cancer and serious blood diseases. Tickets $125 ($150 after Jan. 26); get them at www.richinlove.org.

The post Hop on in for safety! appeared first on Metro.us.

“Last week is usually our biggest week, but a huge portion of coats that normally come in did not because of the snowstorm,” said New York Cares Executive Director Gary Bagley. “A lot of our collection sites were hurt by the storm.”

The coat drive usually ends Dec. 31, but this year New York Cares extended it: You have until Jan. 14 if you want to drop off a clean, gently used coat, which will go to men, women and children citywide who can’t afford warm winter jackets.

“It’s not just the homeless,” said Bagley. “Once a teacher on the Lower East Side told us she noticed a certain student was always absent on days it was cold. There are kids who have to be kept home on cold days because they just don’t have a coat warm enough to go outside.

“Think about what your life would be like if you didn’t have a coat. And that happens to tens if not hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers,” he added.

“I’m grateful, really grateful,” said Shane

Golden, 21, as he picked up a donated coat at the Bowery Mission yesterday. “It shows people care.”

To donate

New York Cares aims to raise 70,000 coats this year. As of now, they have 50,000. You can drop off a clean, gently used coat at:

» Boxes in Penn Station or Port Authority until Jan. 14
» Boxes at Grand Central until Jan. 7
» New York Cares warehouse at 250 Hudson St.
» Any Manhattan Mini Storage location

The post Snowstorm snarls coat drive, but still time to give appeared first on Metro.us.