A 31-year-old real estate developer from Airmont, New York, has admitted to running two separate criminal schemes that stretched from Newark building permits to a nationwide market for fake law enforcement family member identification cards. Menashe Davidovitz pleaded guilty to four federal charges tied to bribing Newark city employees for property approvals and to selling counterfeit credentials bearing Department of Homeland Security insignia.
Davidovitz entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Newark federal court, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. That is the same judge who oversaw the guilty plea and sentencing of co-conspirator Jonathan Ledesma, a former federal air marshal whose case first cracked open the fake identification operation. As nj.com reports, Davidovitz admitted making thousands of dollars selling the fraudulent cards in New Jersey between 2021 and 2023.
How the Fake Badge Cards Reached Buyers Across the Country
Court documents show that between October 2021 and January 2023, Ledesma purchased over 200 blank family member identification cards from a vendor in Nutley for $19.21 apiece, then resold them alongside Davidovitz at steep markups, per the Justice Department's filings. Federal records indicate Davidovitz quoted prospective buyers prices as high as $1,500 per card in January 2022. Authorities say Davidovitz personally received about $30,000 in payments for the card sales.
The cards themselves carried Department of Homeland Security insignia and a QR code linked to Ledesma's phone, according to the seed reporting. The Justice Department describes the federal investigation into the operation.
An Active Newark Officer Named in the Scheme
Charging documents identify an unindicted co-conspirator, referred to as CC-3, as an active City of Newark police officer who was associated with both Davidovitz and Ledesma and participated in reselling the illicit cards. No charges against that officer have been announced, and it remains unclear whether prosecutors intend to bring any before Davidovitz's sentencing.
Ledesma pleaded guilty in 2024 to making false statements and selling official insignia without authorization. He was sentenced in 2024 to three years of probation. The charges concerned false statements and unauthorized sales involving official insignia.
Cash Bribes for Newark Permits and Certificates of Occupancy
Separately, Davidovitz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit bribery involving a federally funded local government, admitting he paid cash bribes to Newark city employees in exchange for permits and certificates of occupancy he then used to list his properties for sale. Federal charging papers specify that the cash bribes moved through a liaison, identified as CC-1. Prosecutors say the bribery scheme played out between June and November 2024.
The case adds to a run of federal corruption prosecutions touching Newark's development approvals.
Sentencing Set for January
Davidovitz faces penalties on the federal charges, according to the Justice Department. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 21, 2027, in Newark federal court. Whether additional city officials, the unnamed Newark police officer, or card buyers will face charges of their own before then remains an open question.
