U.S. Arrests Former Bnei Brak Yeshiva Administrator Sought by Israel in Child Sex Case

Overview

• Homeland Security Investigations agents and the U.S. Marshals Service took Yechiel Yehoshua Farkas into custody in Lakewood, New Jersey after Israeli authorities flagged him as a fugitive.
• A federal judge in Trenton ordered Farkas held after his initial court appearance, following Israel’s request for a provisional arrest as part of the extradition process.
• Israeli police accuse the former school administrator of attempted rape and indecent acts involving minors in Bnei Brak between 2020 and 2023.
• Investigators say he left Israel shortly before planned detention, prompting an Interpol notice and a joint U.S.–Israel effort to track him to New Jersey.
• ICE HSI says its Newark Victim Assistance Program will conduct more interviews to identify other potential victims, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office and DOJ’s Office of International Affairs handle the extradition.