They were particularly upset when he sold an excerpt from "Kosher Sex" to Playboy magazine for a reported fee of $200,000.

Noted one media commentator: "For an Orthodox rabbi, Shmuley Boteach has an unorthodox way of doing things."

The charity commissioners launched their inquiry three months ago after documents handed to the police were passed on to them.

The commissioners, who monitor the activities of Britain's charitable trusts, said they had decided to freeze the society's bank accounts as "a temporary and protective measure."

Their investigation is understood to center on payments that were made by the society, including contributions to mortgage payments on Boteach's $600,000 London home.

Officials of the L'Chaim Society insist that the payments were made only after consultations with charity experts at a leading London law firm. Society trustees say they believe Boteach's success has "led jealous opponents to try to bring him and L'Chaim down."