Brutally Murdered Developer's Bank Accounts Short Almost $2 Million
The bank accounts of Menachem Stark, a real estate developer recently found burned and dead in a Long Island dumpster, are missing $1.7 million, according to a court-ordered review.
Stark was kidnapped on January 2 by two men who shoved him into a van. His body was found, partly burned, in a commercial dumpster in Great Neck the next day.
In the wake of harsh media reports, his creditors pushed for a review of his accounts.
Another $200,000 in cash was also missing. Investigators say the funds were improperly removed in the two months leading to Stark's death. Bank statements were tampered with to conceal the withdrawal.
Stark controlled the accounts with his business partner, Israel Perlmutter. The two were $40 million in debt on one of the buildings they owned, according to the Daily News.
The account missing millions was apparently tied to a lawsuit that ordered Stark and Perlmutter to maintain a $2 million account as part of a bankruptcy settlement.
But police say they already have a suspect, a contractor who Stark owed $20,000.
He had ties to the van that was used in the kidnapping and to a cellphone that was found attached to the bottom of Stark's car.
[image via Facebook]