State prosecutors filed an indictment against singer Margalit Tzanani (Margol) on Monday, charging her with extortion and conspiracy to commit a crime. Tzanani is accused of extorting her manager, Assaf Atedgi, over profits generated from his representation of singer Omer Adam. In addition, the charge sheet claims that Tzanani abused her role as judge on the popular Israeli television show "Star is Born." Tzanani became a defendant for the first time in her life on Monday. No longer is she a star with a huge PR machine and throngs of adoring fans. Tzanani now faces justice like any other suspected criminal. As in previous court hearings, she wore sunglasses to shield her eyes from reporters on Monday. Poker-faced, she refused to answer questions. The gravity of the situation appeared to have dawned on her. Tzanani, who was arrested on Aug. 16, allegedly hired thugs from a criminal gang to issue threats against Atedgi, who was apparently unaware that Tzanani was behind the crime. Michael Hazan, considered a close associate of reputed crime boss Amir Mulner, was also indicted on Monday for his role in the affair. "The defendant's actions are on the scale of those committed by the worst of criminals," the leading prosecutor in the case said Monday. "She used her ties with two high-profile underworld figures to further her career. As an expression of gratitude for the extortion [they allegedly performed on her behalf] she abused her role on the A Star is Born television show (the Israeli equivalent of American Idol) and let organized crime gain a foothold in the Israeli entertainment industry." According to the indictment, Margol was part of an extortion scheme dating back to 2009: "While working for A Star is Born, Tzanani got to know the young singer Omer Adam, who was later voted off the show. Eventually [Tzananis manager] Atedgi became his agent and manager. Tzanani and Atedgi had made an arrangement to share the profits he earned representing Adam." "Overseeing profits" In early 2010 a dispute broke out between Atedgi and Tzanani over their agreement to split the profits. Atedgi offered to buy out her stake in the deal, but she refused, according to the indictment. An alleged mob boss arbitrated between the two, ruling that she is entitled to an additional 15% of the revenue generated, but Atedgi refused to comply. According to investigators, Tzanani then approached Michael Hazan and asked him to threaten Atedgi and force him to pay her. In addition, Atedgi was allegedly forced to provide dozens of free tickets to Adam's concerts in Caesarea, including expensive front-row seats, as well as a cut of the proceeds from private performances by Adam. Tzanani was careful to repeatedly mention of her close ties with Hazan and his family in conversations with Atedgi, prosecutors claim. "The extortion methods carried out by Hazan were instigated and approved by Tzanani herself," reads the charge sheet. Tzanani went further and allegedly made threats of her own against Atedgi. In one phone conversation she reportedly said: "You have to make sure to respect them. If you do, nothing bad will happen. You have to be very careful when dealing with Michael Hazan." The quid pro quo that Tzanani offered Hazan for his extortion activities involved her role as a judge on "A Star is Born." In at least one instance "she awarded points to contestant Ortal Edri as she had been instructed by Hazan via text message," prosecutors wrote. This past July both Tzanani and Hazan allegedly met with Shalom Dumrani, who is thought to preside over a criminal organization operating in southern Israel. "He asked them whether Atedgi is 'behaving well.' Dumrani assured Tzanani that Atedgi is 'shaking with fear,'" prosecutors say. According to their joint scheme, Tzanani was to recruit "A Star is Born" finalists to a new PR firm headed by Hazan. Prosecutors claimed that Dumrani, presumably because of his alleged underworld affiliation, was to serve as a covert partner in the firm. Tzanani, allegedly told Hazan and Dumrani that as the contestants are contractually bound to the production company of "A Star is Born" even after the end of the season, she would help recruit them on the quiet. Tzanani also allegedly spoke with one of this past seasons finalists, Liron Ramati, and advised him on how to annul his contract with the production company, while asking him to keep her activities secret. Prosecutors claim that the scheme Tzanani, Hazan and Dumrani had concocted failed to materialize due to police intervention. Ramati was questioned by police but denied that anyone had approached him on the matter. Police suspect that Tzanani approached Ramati through one of his relatives, Sagiv Thierry, who was serving a prison sentence at the time and is thought to be one of reputed mob boss Amir Mulner's henchmen. Thierry confirmed he has spoken with Tzanani on this matter, but denied discussing it with Ramati.
