Four spectators at the trial of an ultra-Orthodox man accused of sexual abuse were arrested for taking photos of the accuser during her testimony.

Jerry Schmetterer, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, told the New York Times that court officers in the courtroom of State Supreme Court Judge John G. Ingram saw a man taking pictures of the 17-year-old accuser on his cell phone during Thursday’s proceedings.

According to Schmetterer, Judge Ingram ordered the cell phones of all present confiscated, whereupon it was determined that one of the photographs had already been posted to social networking site Twitter.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Prosecutors identified the men as Joseph Fried, Yona Weisman, Abraham Zupnick and Lemon Juice. (The latter name was reported by numerous media outlets without additional explanation, save that he works for a bakery.)

Nechemya Weberman faces 88 counts of sexual misconduct for alleged sexual encounters between him and the female accuser, whose parents sent her for therapy sessions to the unlicensed therapist at the recommendation of the child’s school. The incidents allegedly took place while the accuser was between 12 and 15 years old.

In June, four men from the Satmar Hasidic community were arrested for allegedly offering the accuser $500,000 in an attempt to silence her.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount