Holocaust fund scammer sentenced to year in prisonAugust 9, 2011 - 14:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A Russian Jewish immigrant to the United States was sentenced to a year and a day in jail for scamming thousands from a fund benefiting Holocaust victims, The Jerusalem Post reported. Polina Anoshina, 63, of the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, also received two years probation when she was sentenced in US District Court in Manhattan. Anoshina was the first to be sentenced among 19 caught in the FBI investigation for participation in the scam; nine have pleaded guilty. She is not a Holocaust survivor. Judge Deborah Batts also ordered Anoshina to repay $105,000 to the Claims Conference, an organization that distributes the restitution made by the German government to Holocaust survivors. Anoshina, who made a tearful plea to the court prior to sentencing, made $9,000 through fraudulent claims to the Claim Conference. She also assisted in the theft of $105,000, part of a larger $42.5 million scam run on the program that authorities say dated back to 1993. Assistant US Attorney Christopher Frey said that Anoshina "played an intricate role" in the scam; prosecutors told the court that she had recruited 30 people to take part. Frey also pointed out that she was the only person in the criminal ring who helped a non-Jewish person receive fraudulent money. Anoshina's attorney, Mark Zawisny, argued that his client was "a very small part of a very large wheel," and that "she thought she was entitled to receive some benefits" because of her past in "war-torn Russia." Julius Berman, chairman of the Claims Conference, said in a letter to his organization's board of directors that "We are grateful to the United States authorities for their diligence and dedication to this case." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. “By Your Side”: IDBank's new support program for displaced Artsakh citizens IDBank is launching a long-term social support program for forcibly displaced Artsakh residents. The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. |