Brooklyn, NY - A guilty verdict was handed down today in the emotionally grueling two-week sex abuse trial of Nechemya Weberman, 54, the Hasidic, unlicensed counselor who was accused of sexually abusing a now 18-year-old teen sent to him for psychological treatment over a three-year period beginning when she was 12.
In a packed courtroom, the jury of six men and six women found Weberman guilty on all 60 counts of sexual abuse and child endangerment — the most serious that he sexually assaulted the young woman over a sustained period of time from when she was 12 to 15 years old. The jury deliberated for a total of five hours over just two days.
Weberman was taken immediately into custody.
Upon sentencing Weberman faces up to the 25 years in prison on the most serious charges. His lawyers have said they plan to appeal the decision.
The victim testified that the abuse took place dozens of times in Weberman’s Williamsburg home and office. Weberman testified that he “never, ever inappropriately touched” the girl. When asked by his attorney what he was “looking to do to her,” Weberman replied, “To save her life.”
During the trial, a parade of witnesses took the stand to testify both for and against the teenage victim. Defense counsel tried to paint the victim as a heretic and “a free spirit”, claiming she only brought allegations against Weberman as revenge for trying to have her boyfriend arrested on statutory rape charges.
Benzion Feuerwerger, a principal at the United Talmudical Academy in South Williamsburg where the girl was enrolled, testified that the victim refused to conform to the modesty standards required by the Satmar sect. “It was brought to my attention her behavior, her modesty, was not like the other girls,” Feuerwerger, a first cousin to Weberman, said. “The principals were not happy and it came to the attention of the other rabbis, too.” The teen was forced into counseling, according to Feuerwerger, because she refused to comply with the directive to wear thick tights and button her shirts completely to the neck. “When we see a girl is not following the tradition, we try to work on it,” Feuerwerger testified.
Feuerwerger admitted that the school would have expelled the girl if she terminated her counseling sessions with Weberman. He also testified that the girl’s parents were made to pay $12,800, primarily as an advanced fee for Weberman’s services if they wanted their daughter to remain enrolled in the school.
The abuse trial brought unwanted attention to the mostly insular Satmar community and saw the arrest of three of its members, Williamsburg residents Joseph Fried, Yona Weisman, and Lemon Juice for taking unauthorized photos of the victim during the trial in what prosecutors called a means “to intimidate the witness.” An order of protection was extended following that incident.
Weberman opted to take the stand in his own defense on Wednesday, in what many thought was a risky legal move.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Weberman testified that he first began a career in counseling after helping a relative work through some marital issues. By the year 2000, Weberman said he was providing “rabbinical counseling” to people full-time, though he had not undergone any formal training to be a counselor, nor is he ordained as a rabbi. He testified that clients were referred to him from both the UTA and the Satmar Va’ad Ha’Tznius, a Hasidic modesty squad. Prosecutors alleged that the community rabbis wanted Weberman to manage the counseling program because as an unlicensed counselor, he is not considered a “mandated reporter” and is, therefore, not legally bound to report child abuse to law enforcement.
On the stand, Weberman also admitted to stealing money from the nonprofit he founded, Lev V’nefesh, which is supposed to help low-income people find housing. DNAinfo.com reports that Weberman admitted to using Lev V’nefesh funds for his own use, including billing yeshiva tuition for his children and lingerie to credit cards in the nonprofit’s name. Weberman acknowledged billing $11,000 for his personal expenses over a one-month period.
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