The investigation involves the Deal Yeshiva

30 arrested in federal corruption, international money laundering probe

By JEAN MIKLE
STAFF WRITER

The FBI this morning made 30 arrests this morning in a two-track public corruption and high-volume, international money laundering probe, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Those arrested include 9th District Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt, R-Ocean, and some unidentified rabbis from Brooklyn, Deal and the Elberon section of Long Branch, sources said.

Van Pelt, 45, was elected to the state Assembly in November 2007 and started serving in January 2008. He also was mayor of Waretown from 1998 until last year.

The investigation involves the Deal Yeshiva, a religious school which teaches children in the Sephardic Jewish tradition, sources said. The Yeshiva has two separate divisions: a boys' school on Logan Road in Ocean Township and a girls' school on Wall Street in West Long Branch.

The school was founded more than 20 years ago by Rabbi Isaac Dwek and Raizel Dwek, the parents of real estate mogul Solomon Dwek. Rabbi Dwek was the school's president, and Raizel was its treasurer, until 2006, when their son's real estate empire began to crumble after Solomon Dwek deposited a bad $25.2 million check at a drive-through window at the PNC Bank in Eatontown.

Also arrested were Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III, Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell and Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini.

The probe also involves international trafficking in body parts, sources said.

Those arrested are expected to appear in federal court in Newark this afternoon.