NEW YORK
The Jewish Week
07/09/14
Hella Winston
Special Correspondent
Baruch Lebovits was led out of Brooklyn Supreme Court in handcuffs Wednesday morning after being sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to felony sex offenses with a minor. With time served and time off for good behavior, Lebovits is expected to serve only a few months in jail.
A lawyer for Sam Kellner had tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade Judge Mark Dwyer to reconsider the sentence in light of other alleged sex offenses for which Lebovits has not been convicted.
Before Lebovits was taken to prison, his victim, YR — accompanied by a therapy dog — stood up to address the court. He began by lashing out at anti-abuse activist Nuchem Rosenberg, claiming that he “is bullying me on the hotline,” a reference to comments made on a call-in line by Rosenberg about YR’s physical appearance. Rosenberg has also speculated on his hotline that YR was paid off in exchange for a promise not to testify against Lebovits at trial.
The Brooklyn district attorney has confirmed that YR did enter into a financial settlement with regard to his abuse by Lebovits and also that YR had expressed an unwillingness to take the stand were the case to go to trial.
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