Sara Netanyahu Convicted, Order To Pay $15K In Fraud Case
Sara Netanyahu Image by Getty Images
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was convicted of intentionally making use of another’s error in a case that accused her of ordering $96,000 worth of meals from high-end restaurants rather than using the cook at the prime minister’s residence to prepare her food.
The confession to taking advantage of someone else’s mistake, instead of the more serious fraud allegation, is part of a plea deal that Sara Netanyahu signed in late May.
She will pay $15,210 as part of a fine and restitution, and now has a criminal record.
The state also can file a civil lawsuit to get Netanyahu to force the return the rest of the money, under the deal.
Sara Netanyahu violated the regulations that prevent those living in the residence from ordering meals from the outside when there is a cook on staff. The violations occurred in 2010 and 2013.
The investigation began in 2015 after the State Comptroller’s Office issued a report on the Netanyahu family household expenses.
Ezra Saidoff, a former caretaker at the prime minister’s residence who also faced charges in the case, under a separate plea deal will pay a fine and perform community service.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
