Guide Note

Long Island financier Morris Talansky has been named in connection with a suspected bribery scheme involving Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

On May 7, 2008, reports said that the millionaire Long Island businessman and rabbi was ready to testify that he gave bribes to Olmert while Olmert served as Jerusalem’s mayor from 1999 to 2002. The alleged payments were illegal campaign contributions.

On May 11, Talansky gave an interview to Channel 10 in Israel saying that the cash he had given Olmert before the prime minister's victory in the 2006 general elections was not "in any way illegal or wrong."

On May 12, 2008, Israeli authorities raided Jerusalem City Hall, seizing documents related to Olmert's tenure as Prime Minister. Both Olmert and Talanksy deny any wrongdoing.

Olmert resisted the pressure to resign but said that he would resign if he was indicted.

Israeli media said Talansky was cooperating fully with authorities so that he could return to his home on Long Island.

Police reportedly questioned Talansky when he arrived in Israel to spend Passover with his son and daughter, who live there.

Fast Facts

1. Lives in Woodmere, New York
2. Has an apartment in Jerusalem
3. CEO: Global Resources Group
4. Called "The Laundry Man" by Olmert aide
5. Political contributor to Rudy Giuliani and Bill Clinton

A court-imposed gag order surrounding the case remains in place in Israel, and the exact nature of the allegations is unclear. Media outlets in Israel are not allowed to publish Talansky's name, but many have referred to the involvement of "an American businessman" in the case.