Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court Judge Elishai Ben Yitzhak last night extended the detention of Elazar Vigdorowitz, who is considered the former 'operations officer' of the Gur Hasidic movement, by 12 days, after he was deported from the United States and arrested on Tuesday, immediately after landing at Ben Gurion Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vigdorovich, 33, is suspected of forging documents and making false representations by selling property in Tel Aviv to several victims, with him and his partners pocketing millions of shekels. During the investigation, Vigdorovich fled abroad, apparently using a false identity, and hid for a period in several countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A police representative claimed in the hearing that this was "a very dangerous, sophisticated suspect who contacted others for the purpose of a large-scale criminal enterprise that pocketed millions of shekels.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to him, the suspect had been wanted for questioning since December 2025, had not been in Israel, was declared "wanted for questioning," and after great efforts, he was deported from the US to Israel, with cooperation between the authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, the suspect's defense attorney, Attorney Lior Shavit, attacked the police request, claiming that this was actually a civil dispute over a real estate transaction and not a criminal case that warranted prolonged detention. According to him, the rest of those involved in the case were released without conditions, and therefore there is no justification for keeping his client in detention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also claimed that if there was a desire to disrupt the investigation, it would have already been done in the months that had passed since the investigation began. According to the defense attorney, the suspect did not flee from interrogation because no one told him that he was wanted for interrogation, and he has nothing to hide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to a report by Lee Ayish on Channel I24, during the detention extension hearing, an unusual confrontation developed between the defense attorney and the judge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Defense attorney Lior Shavit to the police representative: "For a month plus, you didn't think it was necessary to issue an arrest warrant against him? Or did you find him dangerous?"\" <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The police prosecutor replied: "Two hours after the suspects were arrested, when the suspect's name was still unknown to us, he fled the country's borders from fear of justice and has been under investigation ever since.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adv. Shavit: "He's not running away, he's abroad the whole time, but simply because of a negligent investigation, they don't know anything. When you issued a warrant for questioning, he was already abroad.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the hearing, the police prosecutor claimed that Attorney Lior Shavit was disrupting the investigation - and clarified: "We have filed a request to interrogate you. He is disrupting the investigation. The suspect has been in custody for over 24 hours, and the hearing cannot proceed like this. We are requesting that defense counsel be brought in.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attorney Shavit replied to the judge: "Sir, do not interfere with my method of investigation. I conduct the investigation and you only decide.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judge was furious and harshly criticized: "The suspect's attorney does not understand his position, interrupts the court and interrupts his words, and this is not the first time. The court warned the suspect's attorney about his style, which is not appropriate, proper, and suitable for a lawyer. Before the court awards costs to the suspect's attorney, the suspect's attorney will honor and explain why the court will not award costs to him, and will pay attention to his scolding style, which is not appropriate and suitable for the court.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the end of the hearing, Judge Ben Yitzhak ordered the extension of Vigdorovich's detention by 12 days, and determined that a review of the investigation material collected by the investigative unit indicates the existence of reasonable suspicion against the suspect of committing the offenses attributed to him, at the level required and sufficient for this stage of the proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a day of heartfelt event and daring escape<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Elazar Wigderowitz was arrested three and a half months ago at the Canada-US border - and on Tuesday was deported from the US to Israel - and was arrested upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The police celebrated his arrest in a statement to the media: "A short time ago, the 33-year-old suspect landed at Ben Gurion Airport and was transferred for investigation to the Tel Aviv District Fraud Division. The police intend to bring the suspect to a detention extension hearing tomorrow morning.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n The successful extradition was Vigdorovich's second extradition attempt - after a previous attempt, carried out about two and a half months ago, failed in a daring escape operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wigderovich, who was deported from New York in early February by federal police officers, who escorted him to the plane and recorded that he was not fleeing the flight, made a sophisticated move during the flight from New York to Tel Aviv - and evaded the clutches of the Israeli police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was after he staged a heart-rending incident during the flight, causing the plane to make an emergency landing in Dublin, Ireland. Upon landing, he got off the plane and fled - and the police who were waiting for him at Ben Gurion Airport with an arrest warrant were forced to return empty-handed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, some time later he was arrested by local authorities in Ireland and deported back to the US, where he was held in recent months in a US immigration detention facility - until his deportation, which took place today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ''Treasure' under a pile of suitcases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The pursuit of 33-year-old Wigderovich began, as mentioned, following an investigation by the Tel Aviv District Police's fraud unit, on suspicion of his involvement in a serious sting case. When the police issued an arrest warrant for him, they discovered that he had managed to flee the country before being arrested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a report on the Mako website, Wigderowicz flew to Warsaw, Poland, and from there continued to Toronto, Canada, with his friend, lawyer Israel Andan, an American citizen living in Beit Shemesh. Andan rented a Jeep and hid Wigderowicz in the trunk under a pile of luggage, with the intention of smuggling him into the United States through the Niagara Falls border crossing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wigderovich, whose visa applications were repeatedly rejected due to his criminal past, hoped to cross the border without being caught, but customs officers discovered him - and arrested the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The New York court ordered Wigderovich's deportation to Israel, while Andan faces indictment and could be sent to prison for up to five years for attempting to smuggle a foreign national.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A source familiar with the details told Mako after the first deportation attempt failed: "This is a cunning and dangerous criminal. This time we will not let him escape. We will do everything we can to ensure that he reaches Israel and is arrested. Bringing him to Israel is a high priority.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not the first time that Vigdorovich has gotten into trouble with the law under unusual circumstances. About eight years ago, his name made headlines in a serious case in Ukraine, in which cannabis was planted in the suitcases of a couple from the Gur Hasidic community, in order to have them arrested. A police investigation cleared the couple of any suspicion and revealed the involvement of Vigdorovich, who confessed to the acts as part of a plea bargain and served four years in prison.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Elazar Vigdurowicz, suspected of 'sting' offenses and real estate fraud worth millions of shekels, was arrested after being extradited to Israel from the United States \u2022 Vigdurowicz, who fled Israel, was arrested when he tried to smuggle across the border from Canada to the United States \u2022 About two and a half months ago, his extradition attempt failed, due to a daring escape operation \u2022 Police representative: "Very dangerous, sophisticated suspect" \u2022 Unusual confrontation in court between defense attorney, police representative and judge","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":1040294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[64276,18530,1062,65947],"class_list":["post-1061888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-24","tag-64276","tag-18530","tag-1062","tag-65947"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n