Edward Cohen
| Edward Cohen
| |
|---|---|
| Born | March 1952 (Companies House) |
| Occupation | Charity administrator (former) |
| Known for | Conviction for money laundering through Chabad UK and linked charities |
Edward Cohen (also reported as Edward Harold Cohen and, in one 2014 report, Chaim Yitzchok Cohen) is a British man whom the Charity Commission described as the manager of Chabad UK (registered charity 1118547) and seven linked charities. In June–July 2019 he was convicted in his absence at Southwark Crown Court of money laundering, theft and supplying false or misleading information to the Commission, and sentenced to nine years and nine months' imprisonment.[1][2][3]
Chabad UK was not part of Chabad Lubavitch UK or the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement.[4][5]
Identity and roles
Companies House lists Edward Harold Cohen (born March 1952) as a director of Havenpoint Limited (company 01730971) until 1 October 2004, with correspondence address at Masbro House, 26 Paget Road, London N16.[6] He does not appear as a director of Chabad UK (company 06058021) on the Companies House officers list for that company.[7] The Charity Commission called him the "manager of the charities" and said he was "connected to a former trustee"; Third Sector amended an earlier report to state that he was an administrator, not a trustee.[1][8]
Jewish News reported in September 2014 that Chabad UK was run from Oldhill Street by 62-year-old "Rabbi Chaim Yitzchok Cohen", described as director of the Beis Moshiach/Beis Menachem Community Centre; two men aged 62 and 34 were arrested after raids that week.[9]
The Jewish Chronicle later described him as a "maverick chasid" and "an open advocate of acknowledging the last Lubavitcher Rebbe as the Messiah in waiting".[10]
Criminal proceedings
On 21 June 2019 Cohen was found guilty in his absence of two charges of money laundering, one charge of theft and one charge of supplying false information to the Charity Commission.[2] The Metropolitan Police said that between March 2012 and September 2014 nine companies of the Chabad UK group – seven of them registered charities – processed more than £10.3 million, mostly from sales of counterfeit erectile dysfunction and slimming pills.[2] On 4 July 2019 he was sentenced to seven and a half years for money-laundering and theft offences and two years and three months consecutively for an earlier benefit-fraud conviction, a total of nine years and nine months.[3][2] He is thought to have fled the country before the trial.[10]
His son David Cohen was cleared of money laundering and of supplying false information to the Commission, but convicted of providing false information to obtain benefits.[11][3]
Charity Commission inquiry
The Commission's class inquiry into Chabad UK and seven linked charities found that the charities "were used for a non-charitable purpose and as a conduit to launder the proceeds of crime". Over £9 million passed through their accounts between January 2012 and May 2014 while most returns declared nil income or expenditure. Cohen was automatically disqualified from charity trusteeship and senior management roles following his conviction.[1][4]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Charity Commission, "Charity Inquiry: Chabad UK (1118547) and seven other charities", 16 March 2020 (withdrawn 16 March 2022).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Aamna Mohdin, "Man jailed for laundering more than £10m through Jewish charity", The Guardian, 5 July 2019 (amended 9 July 2019).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ben Weich, "Charedi man sentenced to nine years in prison for fraud, theft and laundering more than £10 million", Jewish Chronicle, 4 July 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Charity Commission, "'Unscrupulous pattern of dishonesty' at 8 charities…", 16 March 2020.
- ↑ Chabad Lubavitch UK, "STATEMENT".
- ↑ Companies House, Havenpoint Limited – officers, accessed 6 November 2026.
- ↑ Companies House, Chabad UK – officers, accessed 6 November 2026.
- ↑ Rebecca Cooney, "Regulator examines eight linked charities amid £10m fake Viagra money laundering scam", Third Sector, 9 July 2019.
- ↑ "Charity accused of 'misleading' community over name", Jewish News, 3 September 2014.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Simon Rocker, "Charity commission considers whether to recover money laundered by maverick chasid", Jewish Chronicle, 17 March 2020.
- ↑ Ben Weich, "Orthodox man convicted over £10 million charity scam", Jewish Chronicle, 26 June 2019.