Apartment takeover, extortion, and threats: Major criminal case exposed

They took over apartments, extorted, and threatened — and now the court is holding them accountable: The State Attorney's Office filed an indictment today at the Central District Court in Lod against Ismail Abu Ghanem and six members of his family and associates. The charges stem from their systematic takeover of apartments in Ramle through extortion, physical force, and threats, alongside fraud and money laundering offenses totaling millions of shekels.

The indictment, filed by Adv. Elad Asraf from the Central District Attorney's Office (Criminal), charges the defendants with a series of offenses, including extortion by force, collecting protection money, conspiracy to commit a crime, obtaining property by deception under aggravating circumstances, use of forged documents, tax offenses, and money laundering.

According to the indictment, Ismail Abu Ghanem devised a "systematic and sophisticated criminal plan" to seize apartments near his home in Ramle. He acted, either personally or through others, to use violence and intimidation against apartment owners, tenants, and real estate agents to force the sale of their properties.

In this manner, the defendants managed to seize five different apartments. Abu Ghanem is accused of collecting protection money from an elderly woman and real estate agents, exploiting their distress to force the sale of properties at prices significantly below market value. To disguise ownership and evade taxes, Abu Ghanem registered the properties in the names of his children and wife.

The indictment details how Abu Ghanem approached an 82-year-old woman who wanted to sell her apartment, stating unequivocally: "You cannot sell; only I am buying." He threatened that if she did not comply, she would be unable to sell to anyone else. To intimidate her real estate agent, Abu Ghanem claimed he had "crushed the car of another agent" who had tried to sell a house, adding that the victim "was beaten and needed medical treatment."

During that period, incidents of vehicle arson, stone-throwing, and property destruction occurred near the elderly woman's home, increasing her fear and forcing her to sell under Abu Ghanem's terms. In another instance, Abu Ghanem and an accomplice threatened a homeowner that they would "take the house by force" and that he would be harmed if he approached the property. The victim was subsequently attacked with a stick and driven from the premises.

Beyond extortion, the defendants are charged with money laundering millions of shekels through a "circular movement" of cash embedded in the banking system. This involved using family bank accounts and a meat shop in Or Yehuda to secure bank loans through deception, including the use of fictitious pay slips. The investigation was conducted by the Central District Police (Yamar Merkaz). The State Attorney's Office has requested the forfeiture of the seized apartments and millions of shekels in funds.