"Suicide" Swindler Surrenders

Man Who Dumped Car And Faked Suicide On Way To Prison Turns Himself In, Officials Say

(AP)  A fugitive hedge-fund swindler who faked suicide on a Hudson River bridge and went on the run to avoid a prison sentence surrendered Wednesday in Massachusetts, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Samuel Israel turned himself into Southwick, Mass., police between 9:15 and 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, said Suzanne Anderson, police Chief Mark Krynicki's assistant. She said he was being processed at Southwick Police headquarters and referred all further questions to federal authorities.

U.S. Marshal Joseph Guccione in Manhattan said law enforcement authorities were aggressively pursuing Israel when he surrendered in Southwick, about 95 miles away from the federal prison in Ayer, Mass., where Israel was supposed to have reported last month.

"We believed he was in the country and that's why we continued our massive manhunt," he said.

A call to Israel's lawyer, Lawrence S. Bader, wasn't immediately returned.

Israel, already facing a 20-year term for conspiracy and fraud, was likely to be charged with failing to surrender to serve a federal sentence, authorities said. He was expected to appear later Wednesday in federal court in Springfield, Mass.

Israel disappeared June 9 on the day he was supposed to report to prison. His car was found on a bridge over the Hudson River with the words "Suicide is Painless" - the title of the theme song for the "MASH" television show - scrawled in dust on the hood.

Because no body was found beneath the 150-foot-high bridge where his car was abandoned, authorities believed from the start that he faked his disappearance.

The 48-year-old Israel, a co-founder and chief executive of the now-collapsed Bayou hedge funds, was sentenced in April to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy and fraud. He was also ordered to pay $300 million to his victims.

Prosecutors said he and two other men persuaded investors to put $450 million into the Stamford, Conn.-based company by announcing nonexistent profits and providing fake audits.

Meanwhile, they made millions in commissions on trades that lost money for investors. The fund's collapse prompted calls for stricter oversight.

Officials said that after Israel abandoned his car, he took off in a white recreational vehicle carrying a motor scooter and his belongings. He was believed to be staying at RV parks, campgrounds or highway rest areas.

Southwick, where Israel turned himself in, is near the Connecticut line about 100 miles southwest of Boston.

Israel's girlfriend, Debra Ryan of Armonk, was arrested 10 days after his disappearance and charged with aiding and abetting his escape.

Authorities say Ryan confessed that on the day Israel was to surrender, she drove her car and he drove the RV to a rest area about 55 miles north of New York City. Israel parked the RV there, and the two drove back to their home.

Ryan could face as many as 10 years in prison if convicted in the scheme.

[bobnjersey]

[Ryan could face as many as 10 years in prison if convicted in the scheme.]

did she do this for money ... for love ... or the love of money?

[docadams3]

Brand him.

[Gary Kempf]

I guess after living off other peoples swindled money, aiding in fake suicide isn''t that big a step....

[docpeter-2009]

Guess the $$ is about out. So he now needs a roof over his head, three hot and a cot.

[sylvenger]

I hope they add another ten years to his sentence for running.

[ici2i]

Must be a conservative repugnat. All conservative types are money swindlers and take extreme measures trying to evade justice. Isn''t that right little miss Faithy_in_W baby?

[lib_crusher]

I''d say make his fake suicide a reality. Just give him a little push.

[edgardebbins]

Now its time for the psychopath to face the music.

[tastepolice]

Follow thru with his self-imposed sentence.

Throw his A$$ off the Bear Mountain Bridge...preferably at low tide. If he manages to survive, then he can go up to Mass to live his life out as a hermit.

[lib_crusher]

Follow thru with his self-imposed sentence.

Throw his A$$ off the Bear Mountain Bridge...preferably at low tide. If he manages to survive, then he can go up to Mass to live his life out as a hermit.

Posted by TastePolice at 02:13 PM : Jul 02, 2008

Better yet...make him spent a night out on the town with Teddy Tumor! If he makes it back from that without drowning to death, then he''s allowed to spend his life cleaning around Boston.

[smiley676]

Must be a conservative repugnat. All conservative types are money swindlers and take extreme measures trying to evade justice. Isn''''t that right little miss Faithy_in_W baby?


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Posted by iCi2i

What is your problem? Faith_in_W hasn''t even posted on this article and you are picking fights?

This guy doesn''t sound like a Republican. He sounds like a loser.

Get over your biases and judge people for who they are, not their labels.

lib_crusher:
dang! you know speed creates aggression. ppl are allowed their opinion. remember crack is whack,

and watch this loser will get "20" years in a martha stewart type of prison. there is no karma

[ici2i]

Cool your jets lib_crusher & Smiley. Just having little fun and turning the tables on Faith who likes to provoke people. Geez, lighten up. Or in your case lib_crusher, light up and breath deeply. Meth smoking q.ueer.....now that''s just the kind of witty and intelligent remark I''d expect from a guy who fancies himself a liberal crusher. Bet ya have a tattoo of an ex-gal on your shoulder, a NASCAR decal on your car, and haven''t given one moment of your time to your illegitimate kids have you? Too funny!!!

[gkc99]

Neocons don''t like government regulation, and they love that big money they get from the "financial services" sector.

So Israel was just doing what comes naturally as a crook when the greater crooks running the government, i.e., the Bushits, look the other way.

When you have crooked cops, the criminals are free to operate, as long as the cops get paid off.

[pollroller1]

They will have to let him out early to make room for the crack smokers.

[bubbabear200]

Just look at this guys picture. YEP he sure is a Neocon, ya can tell by the way hes talking out the corner of his mouth.

man i should''ve killed myself after all, or perhaps done a better fake suicide.

[libsluv2spit]

Just look at this guys picture. YEP he sure is a Neocon, ya can tell by the way hes talking out the corner of his mouth.


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Posted by bubbabear200 at 03:59 PM : Jul 02, 2008
+ report abuse

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yep! and he is smart enough to surrender in the most liberal state in the union..those liberals are too weak and stupid to properly lay justice on this guy..

[libsluv2spit]

THIS GUY NEEDS TO PAY......

how much is the market price for body parts these days?? NOT ENOUGH!

[patriot12436]

My question is did they seize his assetts and give them to the victims ?

[apprxam]

bye. maybe this time.

[toldyouso12]

Give him life. He does not even have the decency to be chagrinned for what he has done or how he was caught.

[oneworldusa]

Why does the system ''sentence'' someone in April and then allow them to be free and expect them to ''show up'' in June? He''s had years of freedom and a high and mighty lifestyle at the expense and loss of others to the tune of $450 million.

He should not have had bail or freedom between his conviction, sentencing, and report date. What a sissy-man. Put him in with the general population.