The father in law of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto says the kabbalist to the stars used him to launder money.
Rabbi Shlomo Ben Hamo is the Chief Rabbi of Argentina. His daughter Deborah is Pinto’s wife.
In a court filing paraphrased by the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, Ben Homo says Pinto tricked him into opening a bank account in Argentina for his daughter and her husband, and then tricked him into cosigning for a luxury Jerusalem apartment valued at more than $1 million.
Allegedly, the Pinto’s never paid the developer a dime.
The developer is suing Ben Homo because he guaranteed the loan.
Ben Homo says the developer should be suing Pinto.
Pinto, a “kabbalist” and “mystic” from a Moroccan Jewish rabbinical family, is an advisor to Israeli business leaders, celebrities and politicians, and to leaders of Israel’s expat community in New York and Los Angeles.
Pinto, who splits his time between the Israeli city of Ashdod and New York, also advises non-Jewish celebrities, including LeBron James, who allegedly left Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in pursuit of an NBA championship ring and more money on Pinto’s advice.
Pinto’s New York finances are also in disarray, with a multi-million dollar property on the verge of foreclosure and the financial dealings of his organization shrouded in layers of secrecy.
Ben Homo wrote that he tried to refuse Pinto’s requests, but his daughter repeatedly pleaded with him to agree, telling her father that his refusal was causing strife in her marriage.
