Jury convicts Williamsburg rabbi of sexually abusing young girl
A respected religious counselor in New York’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community was convicted Monday of repeatedly sexually abusing a young girl who had come to him with questions about her faith.
The Brooklyn courtroom was silent as the foreman said jurors had found Nechemya Weberman guilty of 59 counts, including sustained sex abuse of a child, endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse. He faces 25 years in prison on the top charge and may get more time when he is sentenced on Jan. 9.
The 54-year-old defendant looked down as the verdict was announced and glanced briefly back at his family, who held hands, as he was handcuffed and led from the courtroom. Some of the accusers’ supporters smiled quietly. The girl’s mother, who was not in the courtroom at the time, said later she was weeping tears of joy, according to her friend.