NY - Man found guilty in scam that stole $57 million from Holocaust survivors

A Brooklyn man who presided over a scam that stole $57 million from local Holocaust survivors was found guilty of conspiracy charges Wednesday by a federal jury in Manhattan.

Semen Domnitser faces up to 20 years behind bars for his role in the decade-long scheme that used a New York-based nonprofit, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, to siphon reparations paid by the German government to Jewish victims of the Nazis. Domnitser’s approval was needed on every application that was made to two funds the conference used to help needy survivors.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said the jury’s verdict against Domnitser and two others means all 31 people who played roles in the theft have been convicted. Most pleaded guilty.