Brooklyn Rabbi Found Guilty in Teen Sex Assault Case
A Brooklyn rabbi was found guilty of sexually assaulting a male teenager.
A Brooklyn Supreme Court jury on Tuesday found Baruch Lebovits guilty on eight of 10 counts, the New York Daily News reported.
Lebovits, 59, who owns a travel agency in Borough Park, was convicted of sexually molesting the Jewish teen in 2004 and 2005. He faces up to seven years in prison.
The victim, now 22, testified last week that the rabbi assaulted him in his car several times over a 10-month period, luring him into the vehicle with promises that he could drive, the Daily News reported.
Lebovits is awaiting trial on charges of molesting two other minors, according to the paper.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
