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N.J. rabbi, wife surrender to kidnap charge in divorce-forcing scheme

Rabbi David Wax, 49, and his wife Judy Wax, 47, walk out of federal court Monday, July 18, 2011, in Trenton, N.J., after before being released on $500,000 bond each. AP Photo/Mel Evans

(CBS/AP) TRENTON, N.J. - A New Jersey rabbi and his wife surrendered to the FBI Monday for allegedly abducting an Israeli man, beating him and threatening to bury him alive if he didn't give his wife a divorce.

A grand jury will decide whether to indict David Wax, 49, and Judy Wax, 47, on kidnapping charges, which could result in a life sentence if they are convicted.

The complicated case against the pair began in Israel with a divorce dispute in the country's Rabbinical Court over the victim's refusal to give his wife a "get," an Orthodox Jewish divorce document permitting a wife to remarry.

The victim, identified by the Associated Press as Yisrael Briskman, reportedly fled Israel after refusing to grant the divorce. The High Rabbinical Court of Jerusalem released a public notice forbidding community members from doing business with Briskman, allowing him to study in a Jewish seminary or giving him a place to stay.

According to the FBI complaint, David and Judy Wax lured the victim to their Lakewood home on Oct. 16, 2010 with a job offer. Once Briskman arrived, two men allegedly jumped on him from behind before handcuffing, blindfolding and robbing him.

The complaint says the blindfold was adjusted so Briskman could see a cowboy hat-clad David Wax as he started kicking him in the ribs. Wax allegedly told Briskman he'd be buried alive in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains if he didn't relent to the divorce.

David Wax is also charged with making a phone threat to Briskman's father in Israel, telling him he would be killed in Israel if he didn't pay Briskman's wife $100,000.

Attorneys for the defendants said they would plead not guilty if indicted on federal charges.

"We're confident that when all the facts are made public, he'll be cleared of these charges and his good and honorable name will be restored," Mitchell Ansell, David Wax's attorney, told The Associated Press.

The couple was released on $500,000 bond each.

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