(haipo) The Haifa District Court has handed down significant prison sentences to two defendants convicted in the case of collecting "protection" fees from construction contractors in the area. Judge Avi Levy ruled that this was a serious violation of the rule of law, freedom of occupation and the personal security of the victims, and sentenced S. to four years and ten months in prison, and M. to two years in prison, along with fines, compensation and suspended sentences.
According to the amended indictment, in which the two admitted, they acted systematically for over a year to force construction contractors to pay them thousands of shekels every month for "security" services, even though they did not hold the required licenses and did not actually provide any services.
According to the court's ruling, the two exploited the contractors' fear of damage to the construction sites and presented themselves as someone who could provide them with "protection." During this period, there were repeated break-ins at the sites, thefts of equipment and tools, flooding of offices, sabotage of mechanical engineering equipment, damage to property, and even arson of vehicles. These events deepened the sense of threat among the contractors and led them to comply with payment demands. In addition, the two illegally issued tax invoices through various companies, in order to create a false representation of a legitimate business contract for security services that were not actually provided.
According to the verdict, defendant S. collected approximately 158 shekels from one of the complainants and later increased his demands to 16 shekels per month for several construction sites. He collected 18 shekels from another complainant. Defendant M. together collected 25 shekels, with all the money collected taking advantage of the victims' distress and their fear of further damage to their property.
In its arguments for the sentence, the prosecution, through Attorney Arnon Baharav of the Haifa District Attorney's Office (Criminal), emphasized the severity of the protectionism phenomenon and the severe harm it causes to the rule of law, personal security, freedom of occupation, and public order. It was further argued that this is an organized and ongoing criminal scheme designed to generate financial profit while systematically exploiting the fear and distress of business owners, and that a deterrent punishment should be imposed that will help combat the phenomenon.
Judge Avi Levy accepted the prosecution's position and ruled in the verdict that the defendants' actions harmed "the rule of law and public order, as well as the peace of their lives, their dignity, their freedom of choice and the autonomy of the victims of the offense, along with harming their property rights and the freedom to conduct an economic business without fear or interference." He also noted that the amount of money collected, the duration of the offenses, and their frequency indicate great severity and justify significant punishment.
Ultimately, defendant S. was sentenced to four years and ten months in prison and eight months suspended, compensation totaling 15 shekels to the victims of the offense, and a fine of 2,000 shekels. Defendant M. was sentenced to two years in prison and ten months suspended, compensation totaling 5,000 shekels to the victims of the offense, and a fine of 1,500 shekels.
The court emphasized that the punishment reflects the need to combat the phenomenon of protectionism through a clear and unambiguous message of deterrence, with the aim of protecting business owners and allowing them to conduct their activities without threats, fear, or extortion.
They make fun of him, give him two years, take a third off, and what's left?
Making fun of the trial is a really ridiculous punishment. The criminals should have been stripped of all their property, including family property, and taught what it means to be a criminal in a state of law. It's a shame about the prison sentence, it just doesn't move criminals. The economic story is what will alert criminals.
A bunch of damned scumbags.
They harm the security of the state, the governance, and the safety of the residents at every moment.
The delusional people are so fed up. Thank you for explaining to me why I will vote BNGVR..
Life imprisonment and hard labor and compensation not 5000 thousand but 5 million... What are these punishments... A man who came to a construction site to collect protection... must understand that all his property will be confiscated...
Who will be deterred by a year in prison?!
This will discourage contractors from reporting.
We must stop the legal circus in the country.
Is this punishment for a donkey? A backward country
What is this? What ridiculous punishment? I don't understand the judges who are out of touch with our reality.
5000 shekels compensation for extortion of hundreds of thousands of shekels? You need a particularly developed sense of humor to judge that…
The law needs to be changed, longer prison sentences and tens of times heavier fines! The judge ruled as best he could, but the law needs to be changed!
Every leftist Haifaite who reads the article and experiences the crime around him understands how much reform in the courts and the prosecutor's office must be carried out, otherwise the country will go.
Judges and prosecutors who are only interested in deals and combinations, and this is what a verdict looks like.
Are we supposed to think they've gotten tougher with them? Are the criminals now afraid?
The ridiculous fine they pay
Maybe the judge is also deterred.
Or did he receive something?
Do not know
But this punishment is really ridiculous.
Stupid judge
The fine amount is ridiculous.
They took much, much more.
A bird's brain
They are smarter than the judge.
Judge Rahman bin Rahman
There should be a penalty in the law starting at thirty years, otherwise it's a joke.
The city of crime and evil. There is no safety on the streets.
Following such a light sentence, you can collect protection from the judge and also from the prosecutor's office. Tell me, are you normal? Everywhere else in the world you get between 10 and 20 years in prison.
I would give the judge himself the punishment the judge gave for disrespecting people's lives.
I would give the defendants a sentence of 40 years in prison with many restrictions.
What are the lightest sentences? 30 years in prison and confiscation of all the property of the perpetrators in favor of compensation for the victims.
Is this writing correct??? 'Significant prison sentences' haha. It actually sets a threshold that is worth the risk to the offenders.
This is a harsh punishment, you bunch of damned garbage judges?!?!!?
..A friend asks..If they collected protection money with threats and caused damage in the hundreds of thousands of shekels,,what is this,,this ridiculous fine,,,it really is giving the blackmailer a license to return to his ways.,and to set an example so that they will surely see not to…seize vehicles, and bank accounts, and all property until they fully compensate for the damages
What is this joke, judges?
What is compensation of 15 thousand shekels, Tahri? They took more than 150 thousand shekels.
They dared to predict half a million for him because of the psychological and material damage they had done to him.
What is 4 years in prison?
This is terrorism by Nohovts. They should rot in prison.
Contempt of court
Is website H afraid of S and M?
And therefore he did not publish their names?
That's what he's talking about.
From this Maniakihu
Children poop for a pair of parents who are first cousins
Kudos to the judge, there's a punishment.
A fine in stamps, funny to the point of being a joke
After a few months they will be released and continue to collect bail. In my opinion, the judges are cooperating with criminal organizations. Only a sentence of at least five years might deter the criminals.
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Why doesn't the compensation include the amounts they extorted? Ridiculous.
Stupid judges who think that with sentences of 5 or 2 years in prison, protectionism can be fought. And ridiculous fines of 2,000 NIS.
Only when we give them 30 years in prison and fines in the millions will there be no protection. For the simple reason that the risk of getting caught in this is not worth it!
Until then, we will continue to pay the criminals.
Bottom line, they kept most of the money. Representation on behalf of the state. It was worthwhile.
Stupid stupid judge, protection or heavy fines are first and foremost an infringement on the sovereignty of the state, and a direct threat to state institutions. Already today, they prefer to resort to arbitration by the headquarters, just not to go to court. Hello judge, protection is first and foremost a threat to you, four years ago.
😍The "protectionists" of all kinds... on the "plurality" of the shades of the terrible "crime", as "sabotage" from all directions = villains - scoundrels!!!@@@😭😭😭