On September 7, Israeli police arrested 30 people for massive conspiracy using false documents on hundreds of companies, tax evasion and money laundering tens of millions of dollars, as part of an investigation into a major fraud.
In the near future, police plan to arrest another 90 persons involved in the investigation.
The scam involved the fraudulent takeover of hundreds of companies in the fuel sector that were then used to issue fake financial paperwork to “outwit” the country’s registrar of companies, The Times of Israel reports.
Moreover, police investigators also revealed that some of those involved in the case were operating gas stations in several cities that sold diluted fuel, damaging thousands of vehicles.
Officers ransacked homes and workplaces of the suspects, seizing property, cars and trucks. In addition, the suspects’ bank accounts were frozen.
Police said in a statement that an organized crime group operated in Israel, filing false documents to take over hundreds of officially registered companies.
Under the guise of ownership of those companies — and unbeknownst to the actual owners — they are suspected of having opened bank accounts, obtained credit, issued fake invoices and laundered money amounting to tens of millions of dollars.
Investigators are trying to determine if other companies may have been involved amid fears the number of exploited could run into the thousands
