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  Rabbi on Trial for Teen Sex Abuse

United Press International
March 4, 2010

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/03/04/Rabbi-on-trial-for-teen-sex-abuse/UPI-74561267749288/

NEW YORK, March 4 (UPI) -- A New York rabbi is accused of repeatedly sexually molesting a teenager, now 22, after luring him into a car and letting him drive, court records showed.

Baruch Lebovits, 58, of Brooklyn, allegedly abused the man during a 10-month period in 2004 and 2005, the New York Post and the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

"It's a shame to talk about it (in the Orthodox community) and I have low self-esteem," the man said, explaining why he had not filed charges until he had left the community.

Lebovits face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison if he is convicted of a second-degree criminal sexual act, the newspapers reported.

Lebovits is waiting to be tried on charges of molesting two other people, the newspapers said.

Lebovits's lawyer said the alleged victim made up the story, hoping to collect a lot of money from a lawsuit.

"You're going to be sold a bill of goods. There's a con man who's going to take the stand," defense lawyer Arthur Aidala said in a courtroom crowded with Lebovits's supporters, the newspapers reported.

 
 

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