Israeli man gets 30 months for drug conspiracy, fleeing bail

CONCORD, N.H. – An Israeli man who had been on the run for 12 years after being convicted of a federal drug conspiracy charge has been sentenced to 30 months in prison, federal prosecutors in New Hampshire said Thursday.

Boaz BenMoshe, 58, pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to engage in unlicensed wholesale distribution of prescription drugs, but he returned to Israel later that year before he could be sentenced.

He was brought back to the United States last summer and he pleaded guilty in January to the bail jumping charge.

The court sentenced BenMoshe to 18 months in prison for the conspiracy offence and an additional 12 months for the bail jumping offence. He will receive credit for the time he has been in custody prior to sentencing.

BenMoshe’s attorney Michael Iacopino said his client was “very happy” that the judge gave him time served for the 19 months he spent in an Israeli prison awaiting extradition. As a result, BenMoshe is likely to serve less than 11 additional months of his 30-month sentence.