Developer admits bribing Newark officials, selling cards bearing DHS insignia

A New York real estate developer admitted Tuesday that he helped funnel bribes to Newark employees overseeing his properties and participated in a separate scheme to sell identification cards bearing the insignia of the Department of Homeland Security.

Menashe Davidovitz, 31, of Rockland County, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner to four federal conspiracy charges involving honest-services fraud, bribery, false seals and unauthorized government insignia.

The details emerged in an information filed in federal court rather than an indictment, after Davidovitz waived his right to a grand jury prosecution.

According to the filing, Davidovitz owned or managed multiple residential properties in Newark, including one on Johnson Street.  From June through November 2024, he used a former Newark code enforcement officer as an intermediary to obtain assistance from city employees, including an official responsible for issuing certificates of occupancy.

Newark property owners must obtain certificates of occupancy before they can occupy or sell residential buildings. The city cannot issue those certificates while outstanding violations remain on a property.

The former code enforcement officer allegedly coordinated with city employees to resolve violations and speed up the approval process.  The information says the officer paid approximately $13,000 in bribes to Newark employees on Davidovitz’s behalf.

The filing describes a series of electronic payments.  In July 2024, the intermediary sent Davidovitz screenshots showing that an inspection had been completed and that violations had been abated, then asked where to request the remaining money.  Davidovitz responded that his office would send it.

Between August 28 and September 27, Davidovitz used Apple Pay to send five payments totaling $2,150 to the intermediary and an associate.  The payments ranged from $300 to $500. On other occasions, the intermediary allegedly directed Davidovitz to send money through Zelle or other electronic platforms to at least two additional people to conceal the transactions.

The second conspiracy involved Jonathan Ledesma, a former U.S. Air Marshal, and a Newark police officer identified in the filing as a co-conspirator.

From October 2021 through January 2023, Ledesma purchased more than 200 identification cards from a Nutley company for approximately $19.21 each.  Davidovitz, Ledesma and the officer then resold the cards for substantial profits, accepting payments through mobile applications and dividing the proceeds.

The cards identified purchasers as “family members” of a federal law enforcement officer, carried agency names and insignia, and included QR codes linking to the officer’s cellphone number.  Davidovitz was not authorized to sell the DHS insignia or any imitation of it.

The filing says Davidovitz offered cards to prospective buyers, including one who sought two “badges” and another who was quoted $1,500 for a Homeland Security card.  In one exchange, he provided his home address for pickup of a card intended for a buyer’s wife.

Ledesma pleaded guilty in 2024 and received three years of probation.  Davidovitz faces up to 20 years in prison on the honest-services-fraud conspiracy charge.  The bribery and false-seal counts each carry a maximum five-year sentence, while the insignia charge carries a maximum six-month term.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2027.