LAKEWOOD -- The arrests of 14 Lakewood residents since Monday morning in a massive welfare fraud investigation that is expected to expand with more arrests has left the township's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community reeling.

Those arrested in the first raids early Monday include Rabbi Zalmen Sorotzkin, 39, who runs the Congregation Lutzk synagogue, and his wife. The others facing state and federal charges are also well-known members of the community, local leaders said.

But a prominent member of the Lakewood Vaad, a voluntary council of influential Orthodox leaders, said the community should not be judged on the actions of several individuals in a town that now numbers 100,000 residents.

"This is not a grand conspiracy, but we have a couple bad apples every now and then," Rabbi Moshe Zev Weisberg said Thursday in an interview with NJ Advance Media. He declined to speak specifically about those facing charges.

The Lakewood Vaad issued an official statement on the arrests saying the council was "saddened beyond words" by the arrests. The statement was signed by Weisberg and indicated that violating social services rules is the same as stealing from a friend or neighbor.

"There is no such a thing as justified theft," Weisberg said in the council's statement. "Federal and state social safety-net programs are meant for those in need, even those in need have rules and criteria that must be strictly followed."

In the Vaad's statement, Weisberg asked the community to use the arrests as an opportunity to remind each other there is "never any excuse for dishonesty in any form."

During an interview Thursday, Weisberg said the Vaad expects to set dates in the coming weeks for educational seminars to teach people about using social services without breaking the law.

The council is also working on hosting informational meetings about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, NJ Family Care, Section 8 housing and other services.

So far, 10 people have been arrested on state charges and another four on federal charges following an investigation that included the FBI along with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and state comptroller's office.

Another 10 or more additional Lakewood residents are expected to be hit with benefits fraud charges soon, according to a defense attorney who is representing a Lakewood resident previously charged with similar offenses in 2015 along with his wife.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office confirmed to NJ Advance Media on Thursday that more arrests are coming, though he refused to specify an exact number or time frame.

In total, the seven Lakewood couples to date are accused of fraudulently obtaining nearly $2 million in government benefits, authorities said.

Mayor Raymond Coles said Friday it is "upsetting and aggravating" when social services are taken advantage of, especially because about 2,000 families are on a waiting list to receive Section 8 housing in the township.

Coles, who declined to comment on the individuals arrested, said the township is working to make sure citizens understand how to report their income from various sources properly. He said the recent arrests don't help the township's image, but said city officials are taking the situation seriously.

"Sometimes these programs can be confusing," Coles said. "And I want to make sure that going in, people understand what their responsibilities are."

Weisberg said that after the arrests, community members who use these social services have become concerned and scared.

Weisberg said he has heard of residents who have called to cancel their public assistance, though he does not know any personally. He encouraged those entitled to the services, such as people who have sick children and those who are struggling financially, to apply without fear.

Officials with the Ocean County Board of Social Services deferred questions Friday to a spokeswoman at the state Department of Human Services, who could not immediately be reached for comment.

In 2015, authorities said Yosaf Laskin, 44, and his wife Gila Neger, 43, wrongfully collected more than $145,000 in Medicaid and food stamp benefits by under-reporting their income -- the same allegation levied against those arrested this week. Those charges remain pending.

That same year, about a thousand people gathered for an informational meeting with representatives from the prosecutor's office on how to use social services without breaking the law, Weisberg said.

During an interview in the hallways of Beth Medrash Govoha on 6th Street, Rabbi Yehuda Jacobs said he spoke at the meeting to inform people not to "rip off the government."

Jacobs, who has been a rabbi at the yeshiva, the largest Orthodox Jewish college in the nation, since 1965, said he told the crowd the government knows more about them than they think.

"Apparently, these people arrested hadn't been there," he said.

Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozicka.

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