Rivlin pardons tax-evading father of sixteen

President Reuven Rivlin granted an amnesty to Yoelish Kraus, a member of the haredi community who was convicted of tax offenses and sentenced to five months in prison.

Kraus, a resident of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem and the father of 16 children, was convicted of failing to report to the tax authorities when he operated an abattoir in the Meah Shearim neighborhood.

Kraus was jailed a little more than a month-and-a-half ago, and the decision to grant him a pardon was made partly because his wife is expected to give birth any day.

"The President's decision was made in wake of the severe family distress which, for reasons of privacy, can not be expanded upon," the president's office said.