Brooklyn, NY – Prosecutors from DA Charles Hynes’ office told a Brooklyn State Supreme Court judge on Monday that the key witness in their case against Orthodox sexual abuse whistleblower Sam Kellner is “no longer trustworthy,” resulting in the judge granting three week delay so that Hynes’ office can further investigate the witness.
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VIN (http://bit.ly/15sY5XL) posted on Monday a report from The Jewish Week, that lawyers for Kellner have called for an “outside investigation” of the DA’s office’s handling of the case.
The NEW YORK TIMES (http://bit.ly/13ImUjs) reports that prosecutors told Judge Ann M. Donnelly on Monday that they learned recently that their star witness testified against Kellner while receiving financial assistance from supporters of Baruch Lebovits, whose 2010 sexual abuse conviction was overturned.
Problems have plagued Hynes’ office surrounding the case since it began, including allegations of impropriety between Hynes’ top prosecutor Michael F. Vecchione and the attorney representing Lebovits, Arthur A. Aidala, a former Hynes’ staffer.
Aidala allegedly hand-delivered material evidence to Vecchione, which was ultimately used as the lynchpin in securing an indictment against Kellner.
According to a source close to the case who spoke on conditions of anonymity, Aidala, who also serves as the vice-president of Hynes’ non-profit foundation and has contributed to Hynes’ re-election campaign, has boasted in the past to prosecutors about his “access to” and “influence” in dealing with both Hynes and Vecchione.
Stinks.
This “key witness” isn’t the only one “no longer trustworthy” and “rotten”.
I ain’t no lawyer but the way I see it just drop the whole thing on all ends. Nobody charged and finished. Whether some people have opinons about one of the two party’s guilt is irrelevant. The point is its too messy to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any one party is guilty. Both sides are tainted. Its just a waste of tax payer dollars to pursue this case.
This is crazy. I believe that “if you do the crime, you do the time” no matter who you are, frum, a Rav, anyone. But there is so much impropriety going on with the case against Kellner that who knows what really happened?
Back to square one where we recognized from the get go that Sam Kellner was set up!!! It was quite amazing that the DA finally charged and prosecuted Boruch Liebovitz, but he was still looking to save face with his Rabbinic supporters. Kellner was his scapegoat and it didn’t pan out for him. It is time we all realize that Charles Hynes is a rotten APPLE and needs to go along with his entire staff. Lets clean the house of the Brooklyn DA’s office and start from scratch!