Woman who faked being Jewish to avoid extradition is convicted of murder
Aurea Vazquez Rijos tried to falsify documents to make aliyah after being found guilty of killing her husband by a U.S. court
A Puerto Rican woman who falsified documents to show she was Jewish and explored moving to Israel in order to avoid extradition from Italy to the United States was found guilty of murder by a U.S. court.
Aurea Vazquez Rijos was convicted Wednesday of offering millions of dollars to a hitman who killed her husband, Adam Anhang, less than a day after he said he wanted a divorce.
She subsequently sued Anhang’s parents in order to receive the $8 million she was owed under the couple’s prenuptial agreement and fled to Italy, where prosecutors alleged that she fabricated documents to prove she was Jewish and began making legal inquiries regarding whether or not Israel had an extradition agreement with the United States.
Vazquez’s sister and ex-boyfriend, as well as the hitman, also were convicted.
“These people thought they could get away with murder,” Anhang’s father, Abraham, told The Associated Press. “It’s been a long haul. They’ve been evading arrest, evading the law, evading taking responsibility and pretending they had nothing to do with it.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.