Reuters AlertNet Lite - Brazil rabbi accused of tie theft hospitalized

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Brazil rabbi accused of tie theft hospitalized

30 Mar 2007 20:49:45 GMT
Source: Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 30 (Reuters) - Brazil's best-known rabbi, who was charged with shoplifting in Florida last week, entered hospital on Friday for what doctors called a mood disorder after using drugs that may cause confusion and amnesia.

Rabbi Henry Sobel asked for a suspension from his duties as chief of Sao Paulo Rabbinate on Thursday after media reports he had been charged with stealing expensive ties during a trip to Florida.

Sobel was a dogged opponent of Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship and is a prominent public figure.

The Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement Sobel was admitted "due to an episode of mood disorder, represented by a lack of emotional control and altered behavior."

It said he had been taking large quantities of drugs to treat severe insomnia that "cause potential states of mental confusion and amnesia".

Sobel said on Thursday he was never arrested during his trip and denied the charges, according to Globo news agency.

He later issued a vaguer statement that read: "I have never had an intention to steal any object in all my life. Personally I am used to confronting crises and accusations from which I can defend myself. I only cannot allow the moral values I have always defended to be disqualified."

Palm Beach County police said on the department's Web site that a Henry Sobel, 63, was charged with retail theft in multiple locations, and posted a picture of the man arrested that resembles the rabbi along with his Sao Paulo address.

The man was arrested last Friday after a surveillance camera in a Louis Vuitton shop showed him picking up a tie and then leaving empty-handed. Four other expensive ties were found in his car. The total value of the ties was $680.

Sobel was released the following day on $3,000 bail.

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Last updated:Fri Mar 30 20:50:41 2007