Jared Kushner’s father Charlie Kushner and his uncle Richard Stadtmauer – the brother of Jared’s mother Seryl Kushner – worked together at Kushner Companies. However, they later fell out rather explosively and the fallout appears to persist to this day. After a long and messy family feud, Mr Stadtmauer was in prison for tax fraud at the time of his nephew’s wedding to Ivanka and therefore could not attend, 2019 book ‘Kushner Inc’ reveals.
Author Vicky Ward described in the book how the family rift originally started between Charlie and his older brother Murray, who grew suspicious he was being defrauded by his brother in the late Nineties.
Tensions were building between the two of them until it erupted in 2000 when Charlie told Murray he did not think they should continue doing business together and Murray responded: “If we can’t be partners, we can’t be brothers.”
Then, Charlie rowed with his sister Esther and lost his temper with her after he allegedly sacked her husband Billy.
In 2001, Murray sued Charlie, seeking a review of the business records to claw back the money he believed Charlie had siphoned off and used to pay politicians.
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Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner got married in October 2009 (Image: GETTY)
Charles and Seryl Kushner attends Newark courthouse (Image: GETTY)
The suit was settled and sealed by a state judge in 2002, but it set off a chain of events that would only stoke the flames of the feud.
Esther reportedly helped Murray by linking him up with an employee of Charlie’s, Bob Yontef.
Mr Yontef also sued Charlie for allegedly sacking him after helping in Murray’s lawsuit, citing age discrimination, and accused his former boss of using money from the company’s business partnerships for illegal political contributions and personal expenses.
While Mr Yontef reportedly dropped his complaint, the accusations drew attention to Kushner Companies because, unlike Murray’s lawsuit, Mr Yontef’s allegations were public.
Author Vicky Ward interviewed by Stephen Colbert (Image: GETTY)
In 2003, the US attorney’s office in Newark opened an investigation into claims Charlie was illegally paying politicians and the state senate also wanted to question him.
Charlie blamed Esther and Murray for being Mr Yontef’s “puppeteers”.
His attorney alleged in legal papers: “Murray directed the conspiracy to fulfill his depraved need to destroy his younger brother’s image.”
A court heard that Charlie took revenge on his sister by setting up her husband with a sex worker, having her film them on a clandestine device, and then sending the video to his sister.
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Jared Kushner with his parents Charles and Seryl (Image: GETTY)
Jared and Ivanka’s wedding, 2009 (Image: GETTY)
However, Esther responded by sending the tape to the FBI and Charlie was arrested.
Eventually, in August 2004, he pleaded guilty to 18 counts of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, retaliating against a witness and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission.
In March 2005 he was sentenced to two years in prison in a Newark Federal District Court and sent to a federal facility in Alabama.
Referencing Charlie’s philanthropy and the offence against his sister, Judge Jose Linares said: “It is difficult for me to reconcile the generous man with the revengeful, hateful man.
“But I must take into consideration the vengeful nature in which this was done.
“In the light of all the relevant circumstances, I find that you be imprisoned for 24 months.”
During his time in prison, Ms Ward claims Charlie ruminated on the situation and decided that he blamed his brother-in-law Mr Stadtmauer for the whole situation.
She wrote: “While in prison, Charlie had plenty of time to think over what happened to him.
Jared Kushner with his parents Charles and Seryl (Image: GETTY)
“He realised too late that Murray had probably wanted Stadtmauer’s head and not his.
“That if only he had fired Stadtmauer, or if he had insisted Stadtmauer be nicer to Murray, the whole sordid mess could have been averted.
“He now wanted nothing to do with Stadtmauer, whom he never forgave, or so it appeared to colleagues.”
Charlie’s analysis seems to be correct, as Murray once reportedly told an associate that he did not really want to go up against his brother, but blamed Mr Stadtmauer for the firm’s financial fraud.
The confidant told Ms Ward: “Murray hated Stadtmauer. He felt that Stadtmauer was bad for the family, bad for business.”
Josh Kushner, Charles Kushner and Jared Kushner (Image: GETTY)
By the time Charlie was released from prison, Mr Stadtmauer himself was in legal difficulties.
Charlie decided to get his own back by refusing to testify at his brother-in-law’s trial in 2008, and the defence had no one to call to the stand.
Mr Stadtmauer was convicted of tax fraud in relation to offences committed during his time with Kushner Companies – and sentenced to just over three years in federal prison.
This would mean he was actually in prison when Jared married Ivanka in 2009.
Despite the animosity between Jared’s uncle and his father, Mr Stadtmauer’s wife Marisa was still invited to the wedding but declined.