Yaakov Alperon
Encyclopedia
Yaakov AlperonYaakov Alperon , was an Israeli mobster who was murdered in a car bomb attack. He was reputed to have run Tel Aviv
's third-largest crime family
, the Alperon crime family.
from Egypt
and grew up in a small apartment in Givat Shmuel. He and his brothers learned boxing and began taking over small businesses in the area. The family gained power by protection racket
in the Gush Dan
area. Alperon was first arrested in his twenties. In 1993, he was jailed for 4.5 years after the police busted his extortion company. Two of his brothers, Nissim and Zalman, were also convicted.
Alperon's enemies included Zeev Rosenstein
, a drug lord who had also been the target of murder attempts. Alperon also battled with the rival Abutbul and Abergil families over money from bottle recycling, an industry that brings in $5 million a year, based on police estimates. As part of a protection racket offered to restaurant owners, the businesses would pay for the mobsters' "services" by leaving empty bottles, which would leave no documentation and could be redeemed for cash
to provide an apparently legitimate revenue source.
In March 2004, Israeli police arrested four suspected contract killers from Belarus
who had been found with weapons, including explosives and shoulder-held missiles, at their hideout. The arrested hit men had been accused of involvement in a failed murder attempt against Yaakov Alperon in December 2003, and earlier attempts that same year against Alperon's brother Nissim and another attack against a member of a crime family linked with the Alperons.
At a January 2, 2006, summit held at a hotel north of Tel Aviv intended to address their differences, Alperon met with rival gangster Amir Mulner. Guns and knives were used after the arbitration efforts failed, and Mulner was stabbed in the neck, allegedly by Alperon. Yaakov Alperon and his son went into hiding and were not found despite a two-month nationwide search. The two turned themselves into police custody. In March 2006, Alperon and his brother Reuven were charged with "making threats, attempted assault, and intentionally damaging a car" for their involvement in the incident.
An article published in Haaretz
shortly before his death indicated that Alperon had been involved in heating oil schemes with other gangsters. Alperon had also been involved in setting up internet café
s during a time when few had computer access at home, in which the fee paid for use of the computer would be paid in cash to the restaurant and would then be used to gamble on the computer. The internet business was shut down in spring 2002 after mounting costs started to exceed the gambling revenues.
Alperon had served prison terms on multiple occasions and had just been released from a 10-month prison sentence he had served as part of a plea deal. He had been arrested for stabbings, assault, blackmail and intimidation over the course of his career.
. At least three other people were wounded in the attack, including a 13-year-old boy. Police were trying to determine the identity of a vehicle that had been spotted driving away from the site of the explosion. The body was identified as wearing the same shirt that Alperon had been wearing in court for the indictment of his son on unrelated charges.
His funeral on November 18, 2008, at Ra'anana Cemetery was attended by thousands, including several known Israeli underworld figures. At the grave site, one of Alperon's sons was quoted as saying that "We will find the man who did this. I'll send this man to God. He won't have a grave because I'll cut off his arms, his head, and his legs".
As of 2009, the prime suspect in Alperon's slaying is rival mobster Amir Mulner.
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
's third-largest crime family
Crime family
A crime family is a term used to describe a unit of an organized crime syndicate, often operating within a specific geographic territory. The term is used almost exclusively to refer to units of the Mafia, both in Sicily and in the United States, although it is occasionally used to refer to other...
, the Alperon crime family.
Biography
Alperon was born in 1955 to a poor family of immigrantsAliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and grew up in a small apartment in Givat Shmuel. He and his brothers learned boxing and began taking over small businesses in the area. The family gained power by protection racket
Protection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
in the Gush Dan
Gush Dan
The Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area , or Gush Dan , is a metropolitan area including areas from both the Tel Aviv and the Central Districts of Israel. The area is closely linked to the city of Tel Aviv through social, economic, and cultural ties. It is located along the Israeli Mediterranean coastline...
area. Alperon was first arrested in his twenties. In 1993, he was jailed for 4.5 years after the police busted his extortion company. Two of his brothers, Nissim and Zalman, were also convicted.
Alperon's enemies included Zeev Rosenstein
Zeev Rosenstein
Zeev Rosenstein is an infamous Israeli mob boss and drug trafficker. Rosenstein was born to a Romanian Jewish father and a mountain Jewish mother in Yafo, Israel....
, a drug lord who had also been the target of murder attempts. Alperon also battled with the rival Abutbul and Abergil families over money from bottle recycling, an industry that brings in $5 million a year, based on police estimates. As part of a protection racket offered to restaurant owners, the businesses would pay for the mobsters' "services" by leaving empty bottles, which would leave no documentation and could be redeemed for cash
Container deposit legislation
Container-deposit legislation is any law that requires collection of a monetary deposit on soft-drink, juice, milk, water, alcoholic-beverage, and/or other containers at the point of sale...
to provide an apparently legitimate revenue source.
In March 2004, Israeli police arrested four suspected contract killers from Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
who had been found with weapons, including explosives and shoulder-held missiles, at their hideout. The arrested hit men had been accused of involvement in a failed murder attempt against Yaakov Alperon in December 2003, and earlier attempts that same year against Alperon's brother Nissim and another attack against a member of a crime family linked with the Alperons.
At a January 2, 2006, summit held at a hotel north of Tel Aviv intended to address their differences, Alperon met with rival gangster Amir Mulner. Guns and knives were used after the arbitration efforts failed, and Mulner was stabbed in the neck, allegedly by Alperon. Yaakov Alperon and his son went into hiding and were not found despite a two-month nationwide search. The two turned themselves into police custody. In March 2006, Alperon and his brother Reuven were charged with "making threats, attempted assault, and intentionally damaging a car" for their involvement in the incident.
An article published in Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
shortly before his death indicated that Alperon had been involved in heating oil schemes with other gangsters. Alperon had also been involved in setting up internet café
Internet cafe
An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...
s during a time when few had computer access at home, in which the fee paid for use of the computer would be paid in cash to the restaurant and would then be used to gamble on the computer. The internet business was shut down in spring 2002 after mounting costs started to exceed the gambling revenues.
Alperon had served prison terms on multiple occasions and had just been released from a 10-month prison sentence he had served as part of a plea deal. He had been arrested for stabbings, assault, blackmail and intimidation over the course of his career.
Murder
53 year old Alperon was killed on November 17, 2008, by a bomb explosion in his car, at the crowded Tel Aviv intersection of Yehuda HaMaccabi Street and Namir RoadHighway 2 (Israel)
Highway 2 is an Israeli highway located on the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea. It stretches from Tel Aviv to Haifa. The highway is also called The Coastal Highway or The New Haifa - Tel Aviv Highway ....
. At least three other people were wounded in the attack, including a 13-year-old boy. Police were trying to determine the identity of a vehicle that had been spotted driving away from the site of the explosion. The body was identified as wearing the same shirt that Alperon had been wearing in court for the indictment of his son on unrelated charges.
His funeral on November 18, 2008, at Ra'anana Cemetery was attended by thousands, including several known Israeli underworld figures. At the grave site, one of Alperon's sons was quoted as saying that "We will find the man who did this. I'll send this man to God. He won't have a grave because I'll cut off his arms, his head, and his legs".
As of 2009, the prime suspect in Alperon's slaying is rival mobster Amir Mulner.
See also
- Israeli mafiaIsraeli mafiaThe Israeli mafia is the general term for organized crime groups operating in Israel and also internationally. Allegedly there are 16 crime families operating in Israel, five major groups active on the national-level, and 11 smaller organizations...