July 11, 2012: Levy Izhak Rosenbaum, left, of Brooklyn, N.Y, arrives for his sentencing in Trenton, N.J., for what prosecutors say is the first ever federal conviction for illegally selling human kidneys for profit. (AP)
TRENTON, N.J. – A New York City man has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison in a case prosecutors say is the first ever federal conviction for illegally selling human kidneys for profit.
Levy Izhak Rosenbaum showed no immediate reaction to the sentence Wednesday in Trenton federal court.
The 61-year-old Brooklyn resident pleaded guilty last October to brokering three illegal kidney transplants for New Jersey-based customers in exchange for payments of $120,000 or more.
Prosecutors allege Rosenbaum made millions by exploiting desperate recipients and paying donors a paltry sum.
Rosenbaum admitted wrongdoing Wednesday but said his motives were altruistic. Several people testified that he'd helped saved their lives.
He was arrested in July 2009 in a sweeping federal case that became the largest corruption sting in New Jersey history.
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