NY Orthodox counselor gets 103 years for sex abuse
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Source: Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- An esteemed religious counselor in New York City's ultra-orthodox Jewish community was sentenced Tuesday to 103 years in prison for molesting a girl who came to him with questions about her faith.
Nechemya Weberman was convicted in December of 59 counts, including sustained sexual abuse of a child, endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse. He testified in his own defense, saying he "never, ever" abused the girl, and maintained his innocence at sentencing.
His trial put a spotlight on the ultra-orthodox community and its strict rules that govern clothing, social customs and interaction with the outside world. Brooklyn is home to the largest community of ultra-orthodox Jews outside Israel, more than 250,000. Both Weberman, 54, and the accuser belonged to the Satmar Hasidic sect there.
The girl's school had ordered her to see Weberman because she had been asking questions about her religion and was dressing immodestly in violation of customs, and he was help her get back on the right path. Weberman wasn't a licensed counselor but spent decades working with couples and families in his community.
Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ORTHODOX_THERAPIST_ABUSE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-01-22-14-23-32
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