EXCLUSIVE I forgot all about Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Or as he calls himself on the Form 990 tax filing for his World Values Network, Jacob Botach.
Shmuley is in the news today because like a barnacle he’s once again attached himself to celebrity– this time Roseanne Barr. He taped some interview with her this week but now he says he’s not releasing it out of the kindness of his heart.
This is the same guy who exploited Michael Jackson into the next afterlife. He even published a book of recordings he said he made with Michael, although Jackson never knew about them.
Last year I told you about Shmuley’s newest charitable foundation, the World Values Network. Shmuley is very adept at creating not for profits. This one is really NOT for profit, only his.
According to the 2016 tax filing for World Values Network, Revenue less expenses was way in the RED– MINUS $304,191. Nevertheless, Shmuley received a salary of $357,000. He lists himself as “Jacob Botach.” It’s the second time he’d done it, so we know it’s not a mistake. I reported that he’d done it last year, too.
This guy is his own worst enemy. If he hadn’t popped up in the Roseanne story, I’d have forgotten about this altogether. But Boteach’s Achilles heel is celebrity. He has to be part of it.
Contributions to the World Values Network in 2016– which gives no grants to any one — fell from $2.7 million to $1.6 million in one year according to the filed tax returns. Yet Shmuley gave himself a raise of $25,000 and still took home his six figure salary. Net assets fell from $921,443 to $617,252. He’s draining his own pool.
But where is the IRS? How does this just go on and on. If there’s still a US attorney in NY, maybe they can look into it. They did years ago when Shmuley ran a sketchy charity for which he used Michael Jackson has his lure.
Roseanne is no regretting this mini episode of her crazy week.
