Suspect in NJ Probe Sold Black-Market Kidneys

(NEWSER) - The 44 New Jersey politicians and New York and New Jersey rabbis arrested this morning were the subject of a 10-year probe, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. “The politicians willingly put themselves up for sale,” the US Attorney says. “For these defendants, corruption was a way of life. They existed in an ethics-free zone.” The rabbis are charged with laundering $3 million through nonprofits in the past 2 years. More»

Chinese boy, 17, received about $3K for organ

(NEWSER) - What would you do for an iPad 2? Probably not what one Chinese teen did: The 17-year-old boy sold one of his kidneys for about $3,000 so he could afford the device. The teen confessed to his mother after arriving home with "a laptop and a new Apple handset"—plus an angry red scar and complications from the surgery, she says. The teen saw an online advertisement offering cash for organs; such trades are common in China despite government attempts to stamp them out. More»

(NEWSER) - Israeli police have recommended the indictment of the country's foreign minister for bribery, money laundering, and other corruption charges, Haaretz reports. Avigdor Lieberman, who leads the ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party and was kingmaker in February's closely-run election, has been under investigation for years and is accused of funneling cash to a chain of front companies and bank accounts even after he became a minister. If charged and convicted he faces 31 years in jail. More»

Syrian Jews accused of money-laundering

(NEWSER) - In a huge corruption bust, FBI agents arrested 30 people today, including the mayors of Hoboken and Secaucus, the deputy mayor of Jersey City, a New Jersey assemblyman, and several Brooklyn and New Jersey rabbis, the Star-Ledger reports. The arrests stem from a 2-year money-laundering probe centered on New York’s Syrian Jewish community. Agents raided religious institutions and arrested religious leaders from wealthy communities. More»

After 18-month probe, dragnet hauls in state legislators, mayors

(NEWSER) - Following an 18-month corruption probe, FBI raids across New Jersey snared 11 public officials today, and all will face bribery charges, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. The officials, including the mayors of Passaic and Orange, were charged with accepting a total of $150,000 in bribes for steering public contracts to particular companies. More»