Real estate lawyer Dafna Moshel was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison after admitting to 15 charges, including aggravated fraud, breach of trust, forgery, and tax offenses. She stole a total of 1.8 million shekels from clients—funds she was entrusted to hold or use on their behalf. As the judge noted, “Where restitution was not made, expressions of remorse cannot be considered genuine.”
By Doron Breitman, Nadlan Center
Judge Dorit Saban-Noy of the Ramla Magistrate’s Court sentenced Dafna Moshel, a former real estate lawyer, to 4.5 years in prison after convicting her on 15 charges, including aggravated fraud, theft by an authorized person, forgery with intent to obtain goods under aggravated circumstances, income omission, and falsifying records.
Moshel not only stole around 1.8 million shekels from her clients, but also committed tax offenses by failing to report business revenues totaling about 1.7 million shekels. In addition to her prison sentence, she was ordered to compensate the victims with 1.6 million shekels and pay a 50,000-shekel fine.
Moshel committed the offenses between 2000 and 2017, during which time she was a licensed attorney in Israel and maintained 10 bank accounts in her name. According to the court’s ruling, “As part of her work as a real estate lawyer, the defendant received large sums of money from clients to hold in trust or use for their benefit. She falsely assured them that the funds were being deposited and managed in accordance with the law and the Israel Bar Association’s rules, or used for their intended purposes. In reality, she stole the clients’ money, using it to cover her personal and business expenses, along with other needs.”
To cover up her misuse of trust funds, Moshel submitted fake withdrawal requests to the banks, falsely claiming the money was needed for legitimate real estate transactions. In one case, she even attached forged documents that appeared to be client-signed approvals. To keep her clients from discovering the truth, Moshel falsely reported that the funds had been properly transferred and urged some clients not to contact other involved parties to avoid raising suspicion.
Representing the State of Israel, Attorney Liran Feintuch said the judge “highlighted the social values that were harmed and emphasized the extent and sophistication of the defendant’s criminal conduct during her work as a real estate lawyer, all motivated by greed. She pointed to the direct and indirect harm suffered by the victims, some of whom were financially vulnerable or elderly individuals relying on these funds for their retirement. Additionally, the judge rejected the defense’s claims of remorse as insincere, noting that the defendant made no effort to mitigate the damage or return the stolen funds.”
Moshel’s attorney, Nava Hans, argued that the judge “acknowledged the defendant’s full confession and the special bond she had with her stepfather, whose tragic death severely impacted her emotional, family, and work life for about a year and a half. She also noted that poor business partnerships and mismanagement led to her financial collapse. According to the defense, Moshel did not improve her lifestyle with the stolen money, as evidenced by her lack of personal assets, her current residence in subsidized housing in Kfar Saba, her recognition as 100% mentally disabled by the National Insurance Institute, her unemployment, and the fact that she relinquished her law license and entered insolvency proceedings.”
Judge Saban-Noy wrote in her sentencing that “this was not a spontaneous, isolated event, but rather 14 separate incidents over roughly three years, from 2017 to 2020, involving meticulous planning and sophistication. The scheme included opening 10 bank accounts, presenting false representations, forging documents, and submitting fictitious requests to banks. The cunning nature of the crimes lay in how the defendant exploited her status as a real estate lawyer, lawfully gaining access to funds only to deceitfully misappropriate them. In many cases, the money was deposited into her personal accounts instead of designated trust accounts. She acted repeatedly and systematically against dozens of different victims, without ever voluntarily stopping.”
The judgment further stated, “Where the stolen funds were not returned and tax offenses were not rectified, expressions of remorse cannot be deemed genuine. Verbal expressions of regret, particularly in cases of fraud and embezzlement, are not equivalent to actions demonstrating real remorse.”
