 On 14 April 2008, Israel was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $300 million after pleading guilty to defrauding investors in his now-bankrupt firm.On 10 June 2008, it was reported by the press that Israel may have committed suicide after a car registered to him was found abandoned on the Bear Mountain Bridge that spans one of the deepest stretches of the Hudson River in New York.It was the same day that Israel was supposed to begin serving his 20-year prison sentence.