This is the kind of complicated case that raises many difficult questions. Was a 25-year marriage built on nothing but deceit? A husband had showered his wife with gifts such as a Rolex watch, diamonds, rings, and necklaces worth hundreds of thousands – as estimated by a private appraiser eight years ago. But was it all nothing but a scam?
Here's where the drama begins.
A husband told his attorneys, Sherin and Oren Solan, about trying to sell his wife's jewelry. He admitted that his addiction to online gambling led him into a deep financial abyss, forcing him to borrow money from the gray market to cover his losses.
The couple's relationship deteriorated due to his gambling habits, ultimately leading to their decision to divorce a few months ago.
"I confessed to my wife that the damage is irreversible. I am currently undergoing treatment for gambling addiction, and for the past few months, I have refrained from gambling. However, she refuses to assist me," he said.
Eventually, the wife agreed to bail her husband out of debt and relinquished her most precious possessions. Just before the sale, she went to a jeweler to determine the value of the gold and diamonds.
To her shock, she discovered that, apart from one ring, all the jewelry she had accumulated throughout their marriage was counterfeit and worth only a few thousand shekels.
25-year marriage of lies: Did a husband only buy his wife fake jewelry?
"It turns out it was all fake! He cheated on me throughout our entire life. Even in recent years, as he transformed into a compulsive gambler, he hid his addiction from me and never sought help," the wife confided in one of her conversations with her children.
However, the husband says he never bought fake jewelry. Rather, he accused his wife of giving over fake jewelry for appraisal.
In order to substantiate this claim, though Solan told the husband he would need to provide evidence of the jewelry purchases, such as certificates, receipts, and an appraiser's evaluation.
Per the customary procedure, the couple was told to resolve their dispute through an official divorce proceeding.
However, Solan clarified that a police investigation would be inevitable in this matter.
"An appraiser valued the jewelry at hundreds of thousands of shekels, and then it turns out that all of that jewelry is counterfeit. This is completely unacceptable," the lawyer said.