On Wednesday, in federal court in Brooklyn, a three-count indictment was unsealed charging Jacob Daskal — the founder of the Borough Park Shomrim Society — with coercing a minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
The Borough Park Shomrim Society is one of several shomrim societies in the New York area. These groups are civilian anti-crime patrols/neighborhood watch entities that operate within Orthodox Jewish communities.
Daskal was arrested on Wednesday and was arrested on Wednesday afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.
Seth D. DuCharme, acting United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney, Jr., assistant director-in-charge, FBI, New York Field Office, announced the arrest and charges.
According to court filings, between August and November 2017, Daskal, then age 59, allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl who he took into his home in Brooklyn, where he groomed her for sex.
During the summer of 2017, Daskal is alleged to have engaged in sexual relations with the victim at his residence and at his summer home in South Fallsburg, N.Y.
In October 2017, the girl moved to Chicago to attend a new school and live with another family. While she was in Chicago, Daskal communicated with her via text message and over Skype video chat. He allegedly requested that she pose nude for him during their video chats and send him nude photographs.
On Nov. 5, 2017, Daskal traveled by plane to Chicago to visit the victim and brought her to a hotel room he had booked. There, he engaged in sexual intercourse and oral sex with the victim, according to the charges.
Throughout the abuse, Daskal was chief of the Borough Park Shomrim Society, a position in the community that led the victim to feel threatened when he told her not to tell anyone about their sexual relationship.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the charges, Daskal faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of life in prison.
“As alleged, Daskal, who was almost 60 years old when these crimes were committed, exploited the vulnerability of a young teenager by grooming her for sex and enticing her into having sexual relations with him,” said DuCharme. “Protecting underage minors from flagrant sexual abuse and predators like the defendant will always be a high priority of this office and the Department of Justice.”
DuCharme expressed his appreciation to the Kings County District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Police Department for their assistance with the case.
“A man who founded an organization aimed at creating a safer community should know the difference between right and wrong. As we allege, Mr. Daskal’s position of influence may have helped him attempt to silence his victim, but it won’t stop the FBI from holding him accountable. Sexually exploiting a teenaged girl is a crime that carries severe consequences, and we hope Mr. Daskal’s arrest will demonstrate to other victims that they can come forward,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney.
