The case of the blackmailing of the rabbis in Netivot: The Southern District Attorney's Office reached a plea deal today (Tuesday) with Shalom Domarni, who is described as the head of the largest criminal organization in the south.
As part of the agreement, Domrani will serve 15 months in prison for threatening the "X-ray" Rabbi Yaakov Ifergan during the local election campaign in Netivot. The length of the sentence includes the time Domrani has served in detention so far, so Domrani will only serve nine months in prison. In addition, the prosecution is requesting a seven-month suspended sentence.
According to the indictment, which was filed with the Beersheba District Court in November 2013, during the local elections, the rabbis of the city of Netivot were divided in their support for different candidates. While the "X-ray" camp supported candidate Eyal Mesika, the Gaon Rabbi Yoram Abergil camp supported the incumbent mayor, Yechiel Zohar. The division created tension between the camps, which also led to violence.
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The indictment describes that on election day, Domrani and his men came to Rabbi Abergel, and the rabbi's assistant asked them to threaten the "X-ray" camp to prevent it from continuing to act in favor of Mesika. After that, it is alleged, Domrani came to the "X-ray" educational institutions and to his home to terrorize his men.
As part of the investigation into the affair, Rabbi Yoram Abergil was also questioned, who was arrested and released after a few days.
The prosecutor's office recently decided to shelve the case against the rabbi due to a lack of sufficient evidence. The rabbi's assistant is being indicted in the Beersheba District Court. According to police suspicions, he was the one who approached Shalom Domrani's people with a request to "talk" to the X-ray so that he would withdraw his support for Mesika.
