Israeli singer and celebrity Margalit Tzanani ("Margol"), who was indicted this summer for extorting her manager, is expected to sign a plea bargain in the coming days to avoid jail time, Channel 2 news reported on Wednesday. Tzanani was arrested on Aug. 16 and indicted on charges she extorted her manager, Assaf Atedgi, by hiring thugs from a suspected criminal organization to threaten and intimidate him. Michael Hazan, the right-hand man of reputed crime boss Amir Mulner, was also indicted in the case. Once the agreement is signed, the prosecution will submit a modified indictment for the singer, and both the prosecution and the defense will ask the Tel Aviv District Court for a sentence of only six months of community service. The indictment also cited involvement by Shalom Dumrani, the alleged head of a criminal organization operating in southern Israel. Dumrani was initially arrested for his suspected involvement in the extortion, but was later released by police due to lack of evidence against him. Before her indictment, Tzanani spent 17 days in jail while an investigation was carried out. She has been under house arrest since. Hazan's attorney was said to be close to finalizing a plea bargain for his client as well. According to prosecutors, Tzanani recruited Hazan, who is known as the "teeth extractor," to intimidate Atedgi into handing over royalty fees she felt she was owed. Tzanani and Atedgi had both served as co-agents for 17-year-old singer Omer Adam. Tzanani's son had written songs for the young singer and she believed she deserved commission from Adam's success. Most of the case's evidence comes from wiretapped conversations between Tzanani and Atedgi. Some of the conversations appear in Tzanani's original indictment, including one in which she tells Atedgi, "Be careful not to disrespect them, so nothing will happen to you. He [Hazan] said you disrespected him. You belittled him. That's what I'm afraid of. With people like him, you have to walk on eggshells. He [Hazan] is super angry. Oh my God." Prosecutors said Atedgi took the threats seriously and signed an agreement for mediation, which he had refused to do in the past. He also made Tzanani's son an additional manager for Omer Adam.
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שיתוף כתבה
Singer Margalit Tzanani to avoid jail time in extortion case
According to a proposed plea bargain, singer known as "Margol" will have to do six months of community service • Tzanani was indicted for extorting her manager by hiring a reputed crime boss and a head of a crime syndicate in the south.