Nissim Dgeldati Convicted of Fraud and Money Laundering Worth NIS 1 Million

In depth

The court convicted Nissim Dgeldati of fraud, money laundering, forgery and a tax offense. Dgeldati defrauded Boaz Adri, a friend he met during his imprisonment, and took NIS 1 million from him in a deal to buy shares in a stock-exchange-listed company, without transferring the shares to him. The court ruled that Dgeldati exploited the relationship of trust that formed between the two while he was serving a prison sentence.

Part of the money was used to deposit a personal guarantee with the court, and the rest was transferred through a financial company and largely withdrawn in cash. He was also convicted of money laundering, forgery and tax offenses, and at the same time was acquitted of some of the earlier offenses attributed to him. Dgeldati had already served a lengthy prison term in the affair of the takeover of the assets of Russian oligarch Alexei Zakharenko, and was previously convicted of concealing more than NIS 40 million in income.

Israel Megad, owner of a financial services company, was also convicted in the affair. The reporter presented the matter as a scam Dgeldati carried out against his cellmate, and the two have remained in contact since the imprisonment.