The business owner who spent more than $8 million on his daughter’s bat mitzvah was arrested.
David Brooks, 53, of Old Westbury, N.Y., the former chief executive of DHB Industries, was arrested Oct. 25 on charges that he bilked his company of millions. His publicly traded firm sold body armor to the U.S. military. Brooks has not been with the firm, which changed its name to Point Blank Solutions, for more than a year. Brooks allegedly made $185 million in illicit profits after selling company shares using fraudulent claims. He also had reportedly funneled money meant for charity to maintain his lavish lifestyle. He faces up to 25 years in prison on each of eight counts. Rock stars ranging from Tom Petty to the Eagles, Aerosmith, 50 Cent and Kenny G performed at the lavish 2005 bat mitzvah of Brooks’ daughter Elizabeth. Brooks’ defense lawyer, Paul Shechtman, told the Newsday newspaper that he believes his client may be allowed out on bail if he agrees to be monitored by guards in detention at his mansion in Old Westbury.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
