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The town of Mamakating and village of Bloomingburg have filed a lawsuit under a federal racketeering law against developer Shalom Lamm alleging, among other charges, corruption, bribery and mail fraud, according to a spokesperson for the town.

The lawsuit ranges over a number of years, according to Samantha Friedman, including "false claims" made by Lamm and his supporters that the communities' opposition to his Chestnut Ridge housing complex is the result of anti-Semitism. The 396-unit complex has been marketed to Hasidic Jews.

The federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law, known as RICO, has been used primarily over the years to combat organized crime syndicates. The suit was filed Tuesday, Friedman said, in U. S. Southern District Court in White Plains.