Rabbi pleads guilty in plot to kidnap, extort Jewish husbands

TRENTON, N.J. - An Orthodox Jewish rabbi has pleaded guilty in a conspiracy to coerce a man to give his wife a religious divorce - referred to as a "get" - by threatening the man with violence.

According to a statement from U.S. attorney Paul. J. Fishman, on Aug. 7, 2013, Martin Wolmark, 56, spoke to two undercover agents posing as a woman and her brother and informed them that one way to get the woman's husband to grant the religious divorce was to "nail him," and that doing so "could be expensive." He then directed the undercover agents to Mendel Epstein, "who he knew had used violence to coerce husbands into giving a 'get.'"

The agents later met with Epstein, and attended a rabbinical court convened by Wolmark "to determine whether there were grounds under Jewish law to coerce the husband into giving the get." According to the statement, the agents recorded the meeting, during which Epstein discussed a plan to kidnap and assault the husband.

On Oct. 9, 2013, a group of Rabbi Wolmark's conspirators - six of whom have pleaded guilty to traveling to New Jersey to commit extortion - traveled from New York to a warehouse in Edison, New Jersey, with the intent of forcing the agent's "husband" to give his wife a get "by means of violence and threats of violence."

Wolmark is scheduled to be sentenced on May 18. He faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney, Epstein pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, three counts of kidnapping and one count of attempted kidnapping. His case is ongoing.