Former Kfar-Saba mayor Yehuda Ben-Hamo sent to 2 years in prison - stole donations for the needy

The Lod District Court sentenced former Kfar Saba mayor Yehuda Ben-Hamo to 24 months in prison, who was convicted last October of theft by a public official, receiving payments fraudulently under aggravated circumstances, and fraud and breach of trust. The days of his son-in-law's detention will be deducted from the prison sentence, which he will begin serving on June 19. He was also fined NIS 200,000.
The court emphasized in its decision that "this is not a one-time stumble - the goal was to make money. Ben Hamo's part in a major case is the perpetrator of the offenses." The sentence was broadcast live.
The court ruled that his brother-in-law developed and controlled a mechanism for collecting donations for the needy from businessmen operating in Kfar Saba, but kept a significant portion of the funds donated to himself and his associates.
The mechanism was operated under the guidance of Ben Hamo by his assistants and with the assistance of other bureau workers, and it was argued to the donors that the money they would donate would be distributed to the needy of Kfar Saba in the form of purchase notes for Rosh Hashana and Pesach. Over the years, the donations have accumulated to a total of about 600,000 shekels, some of which were given to needy families in the form of purchase notes, but a significant portion of the notes, worth about 250,000 shekels, remained in the hands of his brother-in-law, who kept 190,000 shekels. .
Some of the notes that Ben Hamo kept for himself, in the amount of NIS 10,300 donated in 2016, were seized during a search of the wardrobe in his home and the pants found in his sports bag. His brother-in-law also asked his bureau director to make private purchases for him of at least thousands of shekels.
His brother-in-law was also convicted of an offense under the Income Tax Ordinance after failing to report to the tax authorities the NIS 250,000 he fraudulently took. It has also been proven that his brother-in-law did business and actively promoted the affairs of his good friend, businessman Rafi Kahlon, in a conflict of interest. His brother-in-law contacted his subordinates in the Kfar Saba municipality and other parties and asked them to promote and expedite the handling of Kahlon's affairs, and even signed permits regarding the companies he owned.
In addition, his brother-in-law was also charged with harassing a witness and violating a legal provision, alleging that he talked to his driver about material matters for police investigation, but acquitted of these offenses because of doubt. It was also determined regarding the characters that actually reached the needy that it was not a criminal offense, even though the manner of managing the entire project was not in accordance with the rules of proper administration.