Case of Akiva Roth

Case of Akiva Roth

(AKA: Akiva D. Roth)

Englewood, NJ

Lecturer - Yeshiva University, Washington Heights, NY

Committee Jewish Israel Engagement Coordinator - Community Relations Council of New York

Northeast Region Synagogue Initiative Director - American Israel Public Affairs 

Director of Jewish Chaplain - Hillel, Drew University, Madison, NJ
Lecturer in Modern History - Drew University, Madison, NJ
Associate Chaplain - Drew University, Madison, NJ

( - 1997) Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union - West Orange, N.J.
Student - Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NY

Akiva Roth was charged with sexual contact and with endangering the welfare of a child. At the time, he was a teacher at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, now known as the Golda Och Academy, in West Orange, N.J.

In 1997, at the age of 26, Roth pleaded guilty to four counts of lewdness and was sentenced to 10 years of probation.

In imposing the sentence, Hoffman noted that a sex offender therapist determined that Roth was “in the lowest category for risk of re-offense.” But Hoffman added, Roth showed a “lack of appreciation for the wrongfulness of his conduct.”

_______________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.

Table of Contents:

2013

1. Akiva Roth's Linkedin  (10/08/2013)
2. Yeshiva U. Hires Lecturer With Criminal Record of Sexual Misconduct With Boys Hebrew Teacher Akiva Roth Convicted of Lewdness Why, Y.U.? (10/08/2013)

Also see: 

1. Policies For inclusion on The Awareness Center's Sex Offender's Registry
2. Listing Alleged and Convicted Sex Offenders

_______________________________________________________________________________

Akiva Roth's Linkedin
Linkedin - October 8, 2013  

_______________________________________________________________________________

Yeshiva U. Hires Lecturer With Criminal Record of Sexual Misconduct With Boys

Hebrew Teacher Akiva Roth Convicted of Lewdness

Why, Y.U.? 

By Paul Berger

Forward - October 8, 2013

Akiva Roth was convicted of lewdness from his time as a bar mitzvah teacher. The judge slammed him for arrogance and said: ‘he just doesn’t get it.’

Yeshiva University, still reeling from allegations that for decades its leaders dealt improperly with the specter of sexual abuse, has hired a new faculty member convicted of inappropriate sexual behavior with boys, the Forward has learned.

Akiva Roth, who started this new school year as a Hebrew teacher at Yeshiva College, pleaded guilty in 1997 to four counts of lewdness against several boys in his work as a private bar mitzvah tutor.

Roth, 42, has not been accused of misconduct at Y.U. But his employment by Yeshiva College calls into question Y.U.’s hiring practices at a time when the university is battling to repair its public image over the sex abuse allegations.

A spokesman for Y.U. issued the following statement: “Yeshiva University has policies and procedures in place that require background checks for new hires. We are currently in the process of thoroughly exploring the matter you brought to our attention.”

Ever since the Forward first reported allegations of sexual abuse made by dozens of former students of Yeshiva University’s High School for Boys, Y.U. has sought to distance current management practices from those of Rabbi Norman Lamm, who was president of Y.U. from 1976 until 2003.

A report commissioned by Y.U. in the wake of the scandal found that “sexual and physical abuse took place” at a number of Y.U. institutions during the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.

From Akiva Roth's Linkedin Profile

But Y.U. officials suppressed the release of further details contained in the report, including the number of suspected perpetrators or the Y.U. institutions involved, citing a pending $380 million lawsuit brought by former high school students against Y.U. Instead, the version of the report Y.U released focused on policies and procedures that Y.U. had implemented to prevent abuse or to deal appropriately with abuse allegations at its boys high school, in Manhattan, and at its girls high school, in Queens, as well as at other schools and colleges.

The “university is committed to creating an environment at its high schools and other affiliated schools in which sexual misconduct and other types of harassment are not tolerated,” the report stated, adding that “the university has over time, and especially in the last decade, instituted many policies, procedures, and practices that address these issues.”

Yeshiva College, which specializes in the liberal arts and sciences, is one of three undergraduate schools run by Y.U. The college is located on the university’s Wilf campus, in Washington Heights, one block away from Y.U.’s boys high school and its dormitory.

Roth began work at Yeshiva College this semester. He teaches four Hebrew classes each week.

At the end of one such class, on Thursday, October 3, a Forward reporter asked Roth whether Y.U. had asked about his convictions or whether he had offered the information during the hiring process.

Roth said that the question would be better addressed to Y.U.’s media relations department. He did, however, confirm that he is a full-time member of the Yeshiva College staff.

Roth was arrested in September 1996 on suspicion of abusing several boys ages 11 and 12. During private bar mitzvah classes, Roth exposed and touched himself and encouraged the boys to do the same, according to court records.

Roth was charged with sexual contact and with endangering the welfare of a child. At the time, he was a teacher at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, now known as the Golda Och Academy, in West Orange, N.J.

In 1997, at the age of 26, Roth pleaded guilty to four counts of lewdness. Barnett E. Hoffman, a superior court judge in New Jersey, sentenced Roth to 10 years of probation.

In imposing the sentence, Hoffman noted that a sex offender therapist determined that Roth was “in the lowest category for risk of re-offense.” But Hoffman added, Roth showed a “lack of appreciation for the wrongfulness of his conduct.”

“Defendant is very arrogant and continues to blame the victims for the trouble he is in,” Hoffman wrote in a statement outlining his sentencing decision. “Furthermore, he does not even see his conduct as sexual in nature, which it clearly is.”

After noting that Roth blamed the boys for “enticing him into this behavior,” Hoffman said that Roth “has very little empathy for his victims and an unawareness of the harm done to them by his actions.”

“In short,” Hoffman concluded, “at this time, ‘he doesn’t get it.’”

In August 1999, Roth was hired by Drew University as a lecturer in modern and biblical Hebrew. According to his LinkedIn page, he was also a chaplain at Drew and a director of Hillel.

He left Drew partway through the academic year, in December 2006.

After leaving Drew, Roth worked at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as its northeast region synagogue initiative director, and for the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York as an Israel engagement coordinator.

Roth’s job at Yeshiva College is his first foray into education in eight years.

The Y.U.-commissioned report into allegations of abuse focused mainly on hiring practices at the university’s high schools and noted that a review of policies at the rest of the university’s undergraduate and graduate schools was continuing.

Sullivan & Cromwell, an international law firm, led the report — said to have cost $2.5 million — aided by Lisa Friel, a sex crimes investigator and consultant who reviewed Y.U.’s policies and procedures for preventing and combating abuse.

The report stated that Y.U. has an “extensive and professional” human resources department, “as well as many procedures in place to ensure that inappropriate people are not hired to work with its students.’

These “procedures are applicable to all of the university’s affiliated schools,” the report said.

After the report was released, Richard Joel, who replaced Lamm as Y.U.’s president, said in a statement: “Today, the university is a safe place infused with a culture of warmth. For years we have enacted and enforced policies and procedures to protect our students and community members.”

_______________________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE
 
Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

_______________________________________________________________________________

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." –– Margaret Mead
_______________________________________________________________________________

Case of Haim Cohen

Case of Haim Cohen
(AKA: Chaim Cohen)

Tel Aviv, Israel

Toronto, Canada
Owner, H M Auto Repair - Concord, Ontario, Canada

Convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl, fled to Canada before receiving his sentence back in 2003.  Ten years later he was extradited back to Israel.  

_______________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.

Table of Contents: 

2013

1. Canada extradites Israeli child rapist (09/24/2013)
2. Israeli fugitive extradited from Canada to face sex crimes conviction (09/24/2013)
3. Haim Cohen - Owner of HM Auto in Concord, Ontario  (09/25/2013)

Also see: 

1. Policies For inclusion on The Awareness Center's Sex Offender's Registry
2. Listing Alleged and Convicted Sex Offenders

_______________________________________________________________________________

Canada extradites Israeli child rapist 

By Noam Dvir

YNET - September 24, 2013

Haim Cohen extradited back to Israel

Man convicted of rape, sodomy returns to Israel after fleeing with family in 2003, following lengthy police search, investigation

Haim Cohen, a convicted sex offender who fled to Canada before receiving his sentence, landed Tuesday at Ben-Gurion Airport accompanied by Israel Police officers.

Cohen was convicted of rape, indecent assault and sodomy of a minor girl, but fled the country with his wife and children before being sentenced. He was located and arrested in Canada five months ago.

In November 2001, the mother of his victim – who was 14 at the time – lodged a complaint with police, claiming that Cohen had sexually attacked her daughter.

At the conclusion of the police investigation, the Jerusalem District Prosecutors filed an indictment against Cohen for offenses of rape, indecent behavior and sodomy for his actions against the minor.

The Jerusalem District Court convicted Cohen of the crimes in 2003, but prior to his sentencing, he had fled the country with his wife and children, and has since been on the lam with his whereabouts unknown.

After years of receiving tips, in 2011 newly received intelligence put police back on his trail. As part of a joint effort by the police and the Justice Ministry's international department, an international warrant against him was issued.

After a massive search effort conducted during the previous year by both Jerusalem and national police forces, Cohen was located in Canada and finally arrested.

Late Tuesday afternoon Cohen landed in Israel, escorted by police, thus putting an end to his extradition. He was taken to the Jerusalem District Police station and will be brought before a judge for extension of remand on Wednesday.

Aviel Mengazi contributed to this report

_______________________________________________________________________________

Israeli fugitive extradited from Canada to face sex crimes conviction 
By Ben Hartman
Jerusalem Post - September 24, 2013

Haim Cohen returns to Israel after fleeing country in 2003 before sentence hearing for indictment of rape, sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl.

Long-time Israeli fugitive Haim Cohen has been returned to Israel from Canada, where he fled 10 years ago after a conviction for the rape and sexual assault of a 13- year-old girl, the Justice Ministry reported on Tuesday.

In December 2002, the Jerusalem District Court indicted Cohen, today 37, on charges of rape and sexual assault of a minor. He then agreed to a plea bargain in April 2003 but fled the country with his wife and three kids before the sentencing hearing on May 20. Cohen and his family flew to the United States and then to Canada.

According to the Justice Ministry, the Canadian authorities managed to locate Cohen in Toronto in February 2004. Israeli authorities sent an extradition request to the Canadian authorities then, but before Cohen could be arrested he again slipped away with his family.

Cohen continued to successfully evade Canadian authorities until 2011, when Israeli investigators and Interpol managed to find him again and finally arrest him on April 4 in Toronto.

Shmulik Ben-Ruby, spokesman for the Jerusalem Police, said Haim Cohen lived as a secular man in Israel, but after arriving in Canada he grew a beard and began living a haredi life. Ben-Ruby would not go into details about aliases used by Cohen, saying that such information is undisclosed as part of the investigation.

He added that one officer from Jerusalem’s Moriah subdistrict and another from the National Police Headquarters flew to Toronto this week and personally escorted Cohen back in handcuffs on an El Al flight to Tel Aviv.

Ben-Ruby said Cohen was subject to a travel ban previous to his arrest in 2003, and that police are trying to examine how he and his family managed to escape the country, possibly through the use of fake passports.

Under the plea bargain he agreed to, Cohen would have faced two-and-a-half years in prison, an NIS 10,000 fine, an NIS 216,000 fine in punitive damages to be paid to the victim, as well as three years probation.

Cohen was returned to Israel the day after another Israeli fugitive, convicted conman Erlado Farizi, was extradited to Israel from Switzerland, two years after he fled to escape a 30-month sentence for fraud.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Haim Cohen - Owner of HM Auto in Concord, Ontario
Screenshot - September 24, 2013

_______________________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE
 
Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

_______________________________________________________________________________

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."--Margaret Mead

_______________________________________________________________________________

Case of Eli Belili

Case of Eli Belili

Brooklyn, NY

Convicted on charges of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. 

As of January 1, 2014, Eli Belili's name does NOT appear on the New York State Sex Offender's Registry, nor does he appear in a New York Department of Corrections inmate search.

There are a few people with the name of Eli Belili. The one who was convicted was born around 1974.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Table of Contents:
  

Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves whether the resources meet their own personal needs.

1. Names of 46 convicted child sex offenders who terrorized the Orthodox Jewish community from within are released by Brooklyn DA

Also see: 

1. Policies For inclusion on The Awareness Center's Sex Offender's Registry
2. Listing Alleged and Convicted Sex Offenders

_________________________________________________________________________________

Names of 46 convicted child sex offenders who terrorized the Orthodox Jewish community from within are released by Brooklyn DA
Daily Mail - July 22, 2013

'We feel now it’s good for the community to know those who have been convicted,' Hynes' spokesman told the New York Post. 

The Brooklyn District Attorney has released a list of the 45 men and a woman convicted since a clampdown on sex abuse within its ultra-Orthodox Jewish community was launched four years ago.

DA Charles Hynes, who is running for re-election in the New York district, released their identities in an apparent U-turn on his previous policy of not naming perverts for fear victims might suffer intimidation or that others may be deterred from coming forward.

The most high-profile case saw religious counsellor Nechemya Weberman, 54, sentenced to 103-years in prison for molesting a girl, beginning when she was 12-years old.

Of those, 25 sex offenders were jailed.

Others included 33 felonies, 13 misdemeanors while the only convicted woman was sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison for sexually abusing her son.

The sentences are a major victory for Hynes and the city of New York where securing convictions in Orthodox Jewish communities can be difficult because many fear being ostracized if speak out about abuse.

At least 10 cases were dismissed and seven downgraded because victims backed out or parents refused to let their children testify.

But prosecutors believe victims have gained courage since predators like Weberman - whose supporters allegedly tried to bribe the victim and threaten her boyfriend’s business - have been jailed.

Weberman, 54, who worked as an unlicensed therapist in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was sentenced in January following an emotional testimony by his victim, now aged 18.

‘I clearly remember how I would look in the mirror. I saw a girl who didn’t want to live in her own skin, a girl whose innocence was shattered, a girl who couldn’t sleep at night because of the gruesome invasion that had been done to her body,’ the accuser told the court.

She said she was ‘a sad girl who wanted to live a normal life but instead was being victimized by a 50-year-old man who forced her to perform sickening acts again and again.’

She had testified that Weberman abused her repeatedly behind his locked office door from the time she was 12 until she was 15.

Weberman was convicted last month on all 59 counts, including sustained sexual abuse of a child, endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse.

The trial put a spotlight on the ultra-orthodox community in Brooklyn and its strict rules that govern clothing, social customs and interaction with the outside world. 

Both Weberman, 54, and the accuser belonged to the Satmar Hasidic sect.

The teen and her family have been harassed and ostracized, reflecting long-held beliefs that any conflict must be dealt with from within. 

During the trial, men were arrested on charges they tried to bribe the accuser and her now-husband to drop the case. 

Others were accused of snapping photos of her on the witness stand and posting them online.

She expressed hope that by coming forward, she could give strength to other victims of sexual abuse. 

Her school had ordered her to see Weberman because she had been asking questions about her religion and was dressing immodestly in violation of the sect’s customs, and it was believed she needed to be helped back on the right path.

Weberman wasn’t a licensed counselor but spent decades working with couples and families in his community.

There was no physical evidence of abuse.

The court received dozens of letters from supporters of the defendant who described his life in the community as a counselor and a father.

‘Nechemya Weberman is innocent of the crimes charged,’ defense attorney George Farkas insisted at the sentencing.

On Tuesday Weberman said ‘no thank you’ when asked if he wished to speak. He and his wife had no visible reaction to the sentence. The top charge carried a sentence of 25 years; he got consecutive terms for some of the other charges.

The defense argued that the girl was angry that Weberman had told her parents she had a boyfriend at the age of 15 which is forbidden in her community. 

They claimed the girl went to police only after Weberman and her parents set up hidden cameras to secretly record the girl having sex with her boyfriend when she was still underage.

Weberman turned the tapes over to police in the hopes that the boyfriend would be prosecuted.

The charges against the boyfriend were later dropped.

NAMED AND SHAMED: THE PREDATORS OF NEW YORK'S ORTHODOX JEWISH COMMUNITY THAT HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF ABUSE SINCE 2009

1. Simon Lemmer, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
2. Moshe Spitzer, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
3. Yona Weinberg, 2nd Degree Sexual Abuse; Endangering the Welfare of a Child
4. Stefan Colmer, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
5. Joel Pinter, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
6. Shlomo Tourjman, 2nd Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child
7. Nathan Actman, Sexual Misconduct
8. Boris Shaulov,, two counts 3rd Degree Rape; 3rd Degree Criminal Sexual Act; Endangering the Welfare of a Child
9. Constantine Kotzalides, First Degree Sexual Abuse
10. Fredy Conde, 1st Degree Sexual Absue
11. Simon Benisty, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse
12. Yaakov Maimon, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse
13. Bjorn Daley, 2nd Degree Attempted Kidnapping
14. Solomon Marmorstein, Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child
15. Sheldon Siller, 2nd Degree Criminal Contempt
16. Tzvi Boxer, 1st Degree Course of Sexual Conduct
17. Joseph Passof, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse
18. David Klausner, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
19. Emanuel Yegutkin, 1st Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child
20. Michael Sabo, Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child
21. Andrew Goodman, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
22. Meir Dascalowitz, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
23. Nechemya Weberman, 1st Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child
24. Yosef Donin, 2nd Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child
25. Hector Valerdi, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse
26. Jacob Kaff, 2nd Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child
27. Menachem Deutsch, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse
28. Arthur Samet, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
29. Israel Nivazou, Attempted Forcible Touching
30. Frankie Hatton, Forcible Touching
31. Chaim Becker, 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse
32. Moshe Keller, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
33. Jedrych Macie, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
34. Moshe Vaisfiche, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
35. John Pilieci, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
36. Eli Belili, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
37. Nuchum Hammerman, Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child
38. Robert Mannis, Endangering the Welfare of a Child

_________________________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE

Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. 

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. 

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." –– Margaret Mead

_________________________________________________________________________________

Case of Frankie Hatton

Case of Frankie Hatton
(AKA: Frankie J. Hatton, Frank J. Hatton, Frank Hatton)

(Crown Heights) Brooklyn, NY
Easley, SC

Convicted on charges of forcible touching.  


As of January 1, 2014, Frankie Hatton's name does NOT appear on the New York State Sex Offender's Registry, nor does he appear in a New York Department of Corrections inmate search.

There are several people who go by the name of Frankie Hatton. The individual discussed on this page was born around 1958 and at one time resided in Brooklyn, NY.

If you have more information about this case, please forward it to The Awareness Center.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Table of Contents:
  

Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves whether the resources meet their own personal needs.

2013

1. Names of 46 convicted child sex offenders who terrorized the Orthodox Jewish community from within are released by Brooklyn DA (07/22/2013)

Also see: 

1. Policies For inclusion on The Awareness Center's Sex Offender's Registry
2. Listing Alleged and Convicted Sex Offenders

_________________________________________________________________________________

Names of 46 convicted child sex offenders who terrorized the Orthodox Jewish community from within are released by Brooklyn DA
Daily Mail - July 22, 2013

'We feel now it’s good for the community to know those who have been convicted,' Hynes' spokesman told the New York Post. 

The Brooklyn District Attorney has released a list of the 45 men and a woman convicted since a clampdown on sex abuse within its ultra-Orthodox Jewish community was launched four years ago.

DA Charles Hynes, who is running for re-election in the New York district, released their identities in an apparent U-turn on his previous policy of not naming perverts for fear victims might suffer intimidation or that others may be deterred from coming forward.

The most high-profile case saw religious counsellor Nechemya Weberman, 54, sentenced to 103-years in prison for molesting a girl, beginning when she was 12-years old.

Of those, 25 sex offenders were jailed.

Others included 33 felonies, 13 misdemeanors while the only convicted woman was sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison for sexually abusing her son.

The sentences are a major victory for Hynes and the city of New York where securing convictions in Orthodox Jewish communities can be difficult because many fear being ostracized if speak out about abuse.

At least 10 cases were dismissed and seven downgraded because victims backed out or parents refused to let their children testify.

But prosecutors believe victims have gained courage since predators like Weberman - whose supporters allegedly tried to bribe the victim and threaten her boyfriend’s business - have been jailed.

Weberman, 54, who worked as an unlicensed therapist in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was sentenced in January following an emotional testimony by his victim, now aged 18.

‘I clearly remember how I would look in the mirror. I saw a girl who didn’t want to live in her own skin, a girl whose innocence was shattered, a girl who couldn’t sleep at night because of the gruesome invasion that had been done to her body,’ the accuser told the court.

She said she was ‘a sad girl who wanted to live a normal life but instead was being victimized by a 50-year-old man who forced her to perform sickening acts again and again.’

She had testified that Weberman abused her repeatedly behind his locked office door from the time she was 12 until she was 15.

Weberman was convicted last month on all 59 counts, including sustained sexual abuse of a child, endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse.

The trial put a spotlight on the ultra-orthodox community in Brooklyn and its strict rules that govern clothing, social customs and interaction with the outside world. 

Both Weberman, 54, and the accuser belonged to the Satmar Hasidic sect.

The teen and her family have been harassed and ostracized, reflecting long-held beliefs that any conflict must be dealt with from within. 

During the trial, men were arrested on charges they tried to bribe the accuser and her now-husband to drop the case. 

Others were accused of snapping photos of her on the witness stand and posting them online.

She expressed hope that by coming forward, she could give strength to other victims of sexual abuse. 

Her school had ordered her to see Weberman because she had been asking questions about her religion and was dressing immodestly in violation of the sect’s customs, and it was believed she needed to be helped back on the right path.

Weberman wasn’t a licensed counselor but spent decades working with couples and families in his community.

There was no physical evidence of abuse.

The court received dozens of letters from supporters of the defendant who described his life in the community as a counselor and a father.

‘Nechemya Weberman is innocent of the crimes charged,’ defense attorney George Farkas insisted at the sentencing.

On Tuesday Weberman said ‘no thank you’ when asked if he wished to speak. He and his wife had no visible reaction to the sentence. The top charge carried a sentence of 25 years; he got consecutive terms for some of the other charges.

The defense argued that the girl was angry that Weberman had told her parents she had a boyfriend at the age of 15 which is forbidden in her community. 

They claimed the girl went to police only after Weberman and her parents set up hidden cameras to secretly record the girl having sex with her boyfriend when she was still underage.

Weberman turned the tapes over to police in the hopes that the boyfriend would be prosecuted.

The charges against the boyfriend were later dropped.

NAMED AND SHAMED: THE PREDATORS OF NEW YORK'S ORTHODOX JEWISH COMMUNITY THAT HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF ABUSE SINCE 2009

1. Simon Lemmer, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
2. Moshe Spitzer, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
3. Yona Weinberg, 2nd Degree Sexual Abuse; Endangering the Welfare of a Child
4. Stefan Colmer, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
5. Joel Pinter, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
6. Shlomo Tourjman, 2nd Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child
7. Nathan Actman, Sexual Misconduct
8. Boris Shaulov,, two counts 3rd Degree Rape; 3rd Degree Criminal Sexual Act; Endangering the Welfare of a Child
9. Constantine Kotzalides, First Degree Sexual Abuse
10. Fredy Conde, 1st Degree Sexual Absue
11. Simon Benisty, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse
12. Yaakov Maimon, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse
13. Bjorn Daley, 2nd Degree Attempted Kidnapping
14. Solomon Marmorstein, Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child
15. Sheldon Siller, 2nd Degree Criminal Contempt
16. Tzvi Boxer, 1st Degree Course of Sexual Conduct
17. Joseph Passof, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse
18. David Klausner, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
19. Emanuel Yegutkin, 1st Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child
20. Michael Sabo, Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child
21. Andrew Goodman, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
22. Meir Dascalowitz, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act
23. Nechemya Weberman, 1st Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child
24. Yosef Donin, 2nd Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child
25. Hector Valerdi, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse
26. Jacob Kaff, 2nd Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child
27. Menachem Deutsch, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse
28. Arthur Samet, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
29. Israel Nivazou, Attempted Forcible Touching
30. Frankie Hatton, Forcible Touching
31. Chaim Becker, 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse
32. Moshe Keller, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
33. Jedrych Macie, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
34. Moshe Vaisfiche, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
35. John Pilieci, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
36. Eli Belili, Endangering the Welfare of a Child
37. Nuchum Hammerman, Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child
38. Robert Mannis, Endangering the Welfare of a Child

_________________________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE

Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. 

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. 

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." –– Margaret Mead

_________________________________________________________________________________