Brooklynite Held in Bolivian Jail May Have Been Fleeced

Jacob Ostreicher by Judae1

Here's a cautionary tale: Brooklyn resident Jacob Ostreicher has been imprisoned in Bolivia for 18 months without any charges being filed. He was arrested in a money-laundering investigation but no evidence has been presented.

While in jail, he claims that corrupt officials have fleeced him, seizing 18,000 metric tons of rice from his farming venture, selling most of it, and pocketing the cash, according to the Timesleader.

According to Wikipedia, Ostreicher and Geneva lawyer Andre Zolty, along with others, invested at least $25 million in the rice farming project in 2008. 

Jose Manuel Antezana, an official in the Presidential Ministry, was arrested Monday and accused of receiving $9,900 in proceeds from the sale of Ostreicher's rice in a personal bank account -- and Ostreicher says he was told that more arrests were coming.

But he's still in jail.

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