defaulted on $17.3 million in loans

Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto’s NYC Headquarters Subject Of Foreclosure Lawsuit Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto’s nonprofit Mosdot Shuva Israel is being sued for foreclosure on its Manhattan headquarters building, the Jewish Voice reported. The property, located at 122 East 58th Street, houses Pinto synagogue (among other things). The lawsuit was filed on Thursday, January 8 by Corigin Real Estate Group. Corigin claims that Mosdot Shuva Israel defaulted on March 17 on two loans: one for $15 million and the other for $5 million, both from Signature Bank. Corigin bought the loans from Signature on March 13. Members of Mosdot Shuva Israel’s board of directors are named as defendants in the lawsuit because they gave personal guarantees for the loans. Among them are Ilan Bracha, Haim Binstock, Yosi Zaga, and Pinto’s cousin and top aide, former pornographer Ben Zion Suky. Also named in the suit are Haim Revah and Joseph Ben Moha. Corigin says Pinto’s charity owes $14.3 million on the $15 million loan and $3 million on the $5 million loan. Suky reportedly claims that an agreement to extend the loan was made with Signature Bank and that a total of $22.3 million was borrowed. $5 million was repaid, leaving an unpaid balance of $17.3 million. “We are thinking about what will be our next step on Signature Bank,” he said. “We have a bank that we’re going to refinance with, in the next few days,” Suky reportedly said. Mosdot Shuva Israel purchased the property for $28.5 million in 2009. Pinto is expected to serve at least one year in prison for attempting to bribe senior police officers. A charity he controlled there stole tens of millions of dollars meant to help elderly Holocaust survivors. Much of that stolen money allegedly ended up in Pinto’s pockets, and the case against him is reportedly nearing the indictment stage. Known as a kabbalist to the stars, Pinto is also closely connected to Israel’s underworld and its branches in the Diaspora – especially in New York City. An Israeli investor, Tomer Shohat, who found irregularities in the operation of a New York City property owned in part by Suky (and through him, apparently by Pinto) was threatened and allegedly falsely arrested by a NYPD detective, Eric Patino, who is close to Pinto and Suky. The detective wanted all the incriminating evidence against Suky and Pinto. If not, he allegedly threatened to arrest Shohat and did so when Shohat refused to give the evidence to him. The charges against Shohat were later dropped, and he is suing Pinto, Suky and the NYPD detective.