News

N.Y. Rabbi Sentenced to 30 Years for Molesting Daughter

By JTA May 11, 2009

A New York rabbi was sentenced to 30 years in prison for molesting his daughter.

Rabbi Israel Weingarten was found guilty of sexually abusing his daughter, now 27, between the ages of 6 and 16. Weingarten represented himself during his trial in Brooklyn federal court.

Judge John Gleeson told Weingarten during the sentencing Friday that he would never forget the woman’s pain throughout the trial, during which her father cross-examined her, The Associated Press reported.

A member of a Satmar Chasidic community in upstate New York, Weingarten was arrested last year on charges he traveled outside the country to have sex with a minor.

The woman, Weingarten’s second child, was supported in her claims by an older brother. Six younger children support their father, and two daughters testified on his behalf, according to the AP.

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