Cover blown during Hanukah.
As details rapidly emerge in the saga of the Lakewood imposter, Natan Yosef Levi or Ted Riley Floyd it has become apparent that the man falsely claiming to be an Orthodox Jew couldn't pronounce the Hebrew letter, Ches. This was his alleged Achilles heel and eventually led to his downfall.
Levi's neighbors became suspicious when he wished them all a "Happy Hanukah" in late 2007. While it is commonplace for gentiles to pronounce Chanukah without the Ch sound, such pronunciation has rocked the otherwise quiet town of Lakewood, NJ. "At least he didn't try the Ch as in Choo-Choo or chocolate" said Chieli Chaimowitz, 18 of Forest Park.
While the story has just recently been publicized, some claim to have known Levi was suspicious all along."He was eating over Friday night by me and he asked to pass the Harayne, I thought for sure he was kibbitzing" said Baruch Schwartzman, a former acquaintance of Levi." I knew he was a weirdo all along"
Weird? Yes, but could anyone have imagined that Levi was really Ted Riley Floyd a convict from Wichita, Kansas? An FBI wiretap released to the public today catches Levi asking his study partner "What are you doing in Hol Hamoed Pesack?" A source close to the investigation tells us it was this comment that forced the Feds to move in when they did.
"Now he's just another faker missing seder" said a bitter Baal HaBus to no one in particular.
Other small clues to Floyd/Levi’s phony identity included his wife not being a speech therapist, him working part-time, and davening all 3 tefilos with a minyan.
