Bert I. Dweck and Family Face Fraud Lawsuits in NJ

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Brooklyn real estate broker Bert I. Dweck and his family face more fraud lawsuits in New Jersey as alleged victims circle the family’s assets.

Four lawsuits have been brought against Bert I. Dweck in New Jersey state court since the start of the year. In total, Bert I. Dweck of Dweck Group faces 11 lawsuits in New York and New Jersey. Lawsuits also name his parents, Isaac and Marlene Dweck, and his brother, Adam Dweck, as defendants.

As The Real Deal recently reported, multiple real estate investors and lenders alleged in NY state court that Bert I. Dweck used phony contracts to entice people to give him money for real estate acquisitions. The money was supposed to be held in escrow. But instead, Dweck absconded with the money, lawsuits allege.

Those allegations have now crossed state lines to New Jersey, where others are making similar claims of diverted funds used to pay for his family’s six-bedroom home in Deal, New Jersey, with an estimated value of up to $11 million. Investors and lenders in NJ are seeking to put a lien on his home.

The legal saga of Bert I. Dweck has been the talk of the insular Syrian-Jewish community in Gravesend, Brooklyn, and Deal, of which Bert I. Dweck and his family are part, as are many of the alleged victims. More lawsuits are expected to be filed, sources said. Questions remain about exactly where all the money went.

The New Jersey lawsuits were brought by Isaac and Charles Zafarani, Morris Cohen, Steve Tabeek and Joseph Askouti and Steven Esses.

The attorney representing all four plaintiffs, Jay Kanetkar, declined to comment. Bert. I Dweck’s attorney Jason Swergold also declined to comment. Isaac and Marlene Dweck’s attorney did not return a request for comment, nor did Adam Dweck’s attorney.

The Zafaranis

Isaac and Charles Zafarani allege they entered into partnerships with Bert I. Dweck for three acquisition deals: 1526 Grand Concourse site in the Bronx, two Rite Aids in Philadelphia and one in Westbury, New York, and 210-220 Nagle Avenue in Manhattan.

1526 Grand Concourse: Isaac Zafarani allegedly wired $500,000 to an escrow account tied to Bert I. Dweck. The deal never closed. When Isaac requested a return of his money, Bert. I. Dweck allegedly sent a check with insufficient funds.

Three Rite Aids: Isaac Zafarani allegedly wired over $300,000 to Bert I. Dweck and his family’s entities to go towards the purchase of three Rite Aids. Charles Zafarani then wired $310,000 to the Dwecks. But the deals never closed.

210-220 Nagle Avenue: Charles and Isaac allegedly sent over $375,000 to Bert I. Dweck to buy 210-220 Nagle Avenue. The deal didn’t close and the Zafaranis never got their money back. The Zafaranis believe most of their money went to paying for the mortgage and carrying costs of the Dwecks’ family home at 16 Neptune Avenue in Deal, New Jersey.

Morris Cohen

Morris Cohen of Cohen Property Group claims he provided over $100,000 to Bert I. Dweck, a Dweck entity called Lionheart and Adam Dweck for a series of real estate transactions.

But by mid-2024, the Dwecks’ debts had ballooned to over $100,000, according to the lawsuit. Cohen sought to consolidate the debts under one note. That note would be secured by one property: 3582 East Tremont Street in the Bronx. Under the terms of the note, Cohen claims he had the right to seize the property in the event of a default.

Cohen, however, claims he found out the deed was transferred, but Bert I. Dweck never gave him any of the proceeds of the sale. Bert I. Dweck then offered Cohen collateral in another deal, 2535 MIAM LLC, which held interest in a different property.

But Cohen later discovered that Bert I. Dweck sold his interest in that property, making the collateral worthless, according to the lawsuit. The loans were never repaid. The money was allegedly moved to 16 Neptune Avenue and a retail property in Camden, New Jersey.

Steven Tabeek

Steven Tabeek, Joseph Ashkouti and two of their affiliated companies, TF Capital Holdings and JMC Lender, allege they loaned money to Isaac Dweck and Bert I. Dweck between 2024 and 2025.

This included a $900,000 loan to buy 4188 Broadway in Manhattan, a $450,000 loan to buy 1526 Grand Concourse in the Bronx and $750,000 to buy 6401 Fort Hamilton Parkway in Brooklyn. Instead, Tabeek and Ashkouti allege Bert I. Dweck moved the loan proceeds into Affinity Development Capital. From Affinity, the funds went to pay for credit card bills, car payments and expenses tied to their Deal residence, according to the lawsuit.

“Defendants diverted and disbursed the proceeds through Affinity Development Capital LLC and related accounts for purposes unrelated to any bona fide real-estate transaction,” the lawsuit said.

Steven Esses

Steven Esses alleges that between 2024 and 2025, he wired $340,000 to Capital D Reny, a company tied to Isaac and Bert I. Dweck. On top of the $340,000, Esses said he sent over hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Dwecks. In total, Esses claims the Dwecks owe him $985,000.

Esses further alleges Bert I. Dweck delayed repayment of the loans by sending multiple checks that were returned for insufficient funds. Esses alleges the money was diverted to the Dweck family’s Deal, New Jersey house.

The combined lawsuits in New Jersey from Esses, the Zarafanis, Cohen and Tabeek are seeking $5.4 million from Bert I. Dweck and his family. In New York state court, Dweck’s lenders and investors are seeking $14.4 million.

In total, the 11 lawsuits are seeking about $19.8 million from the Dwecks.