New York – Brooklyn Rabbi Released on Bail After Extortion Scheme Uncovered

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    DA Hynes announces charges against Samuel KellnerNew York – In a major development, sending shockwaves through Borough Park’s tight-knit Jewish community, VIN News has confirmed that a Brooklyn rabbi who was sentenced to a 10 ½ to 32 year prison term for child molestation a year ago was released on $250,000 bail and house arrest pending the appeal of his conviction, after it was determined that witnesses who had testified against him had been paid to falsely claim that they had been molested by 60 year old Rabbi Boruch Lebovits.

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    Lebovits was represented on appeal by high-power attorney Alan Dershowitz and his original defense lawyer Arthur Aidala.

    As was reported earlier on VIN News, Samuel Kellner, 49, was arraigned today in Brooklyn Supreme Court for 10 counts of grand larceny, perjury and conspiracy that can land him behind bars for up to 21 years.

    In an exclusive interview with VIN News, Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind stressed the importance of making sure that no one is ever convicted of a crime they didn’t commit.

    “It is reprehensible and an embarrassment when someone does something like this and I don’t care what his motives were. I don’t know what the end result will be in this case, but we need to be extremely careful so that even a single innocent person isn’t falsely accused. I can’t tell you how many cases we have on a regular basis and we are so careful because I wouldn’t want to be the one being accused of a crime that I didn’t commit.”

    According to the NY Daily News, Kellner pleaded not guilty and his lawyer Israel Fried described him as an advocate of sexual-abuse victims, which made him a lightening rod in the ultra-orthodox neighborhood.

    “It seems reasonable that people in the community who are aware of him bringing people to justice will have a vendetta against my client,” he said.

    Kellner allegedly attempted to extort $400,000 from Lebovitz after learning in 2008 that a young man had brought charges of sexual abuse against Rabbi Lebovits.

    When the family refused to pay, Kellner allegedly paid off witnesses to lie and claim that Lebovits had abused them as well, resulting in greater charges being brought against him.

    An investigation into Lebovits – a wealthy man who owned a travel agency – began when Kellner’s close relative accused the rabbi of inappropriate touching, sources said.

    Lebovits was hit with a misdemeanor, but when a second accuser – the one paid by Kellner – came forward, the rabbi was slapped with felony counts, prosecutors said.

    The charges relating to Kellner’s relative were eventually dismissed, and the second accuser later refused to testify at trial.

    Meanwhile, representatives for Kellner told the Lebovits family to pay up or another victim would come forward, prosecutors said.

    When the family refused, a third accuser stepped forward and gave testimony in March 2010 that led to Lebovits’ conviction.

    A source told the Daily News that third accuser was also tainted, having been offered $50,000 to take the stand.

    “We believe everything was premeditated all along. All they wanted was the money,” said a relative of Lebovits who asked not to be named. “The DA has him on recordings.”

    Lebovits is expected to use these new developments to challenge his original conviction.


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    68 Comments
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    12 years ago

    B”H

    sugnur
    sugnur
    12 years ago

    chasdi Hasham – let this sfuff come before a beth din and formal hasruas beth din – this going to courts should stop chasdie hasham

    Satmar
    Satmar
    12 years ago

    at end he was right he didnt plead guilty! chasde hashem ! burich mater asirem!

    shredready
    shredready
    12 years ago

    this is the right thing to do, and if there is other evidence against him retry him, but the original case is now very tainted and someone should not sit in jail after sucha disclosure.

    airtravelar
    airtravelar
    12 years ago

    chasdei hashem

    Tina1
    Tina1
    12 years ago

    wow

    simplelogic
    simplelogic
    12 years ago

    CHASDEI HASHEM!!!! great news for pesach! and great news for justice. “IF” Kelner is guilty of what he is accused of then he should do the time instead of lebowitz.

    shianbet
    shianbet
    12 years ago

    B”H, God is running the show after all…

    friend
    friend
    12 years ago

    Mazel tov. This is really a big geula lekuvod passover.

    Shmoger
    Shmoger
    12 years ago

    which Samuel Kellner is this?

    Samckatz
    Samckatz
    12 years ago

    I hope to G-D that this will be the beginning of the end for N Rosenberg.
    Boorich Hashem.

    nyc911
    nyc911
    12 years ago

    chosdi hashem: i dont know how to thank hashem for doing this: this is a lesson for guys who are looking to find bad things by somone. should look on himself and he will find it. i’m so happy that finely he is out: like i send out before on twitter he is on the way home. to boro park

    shvigger
    shvigger
    12 years ago

    So Kellner, the tzadik, who sticks up for abuse victims may not be such a tzadik after all.

    jewishtaliban
    jewishtaliban
    12 years ago

    12 commens saying chasdie hashem!! For what??? Now instead of one creep in jail we will have two?? It still says lebowitz is guilty(that’s a fact ) just not as many
    And now this clown is going into jail for extortion what’s the chasdie hashem??????

    HaMaven
    HaMaven
    12 years ago

    “Lebovits was represented on appeal by high-power attorney Alan Dershowitz and his original defense lawyer Arthur Aidala.”

    Note: Unfortunately many individuals suffer through prison terms, simply fore they do not have the financial ability to prove their innocents.

    MrSmith
    MrSmith
    12 years ago

    I hope next is Rubashkin I’yh bakoroiv

    shredready
    shredready
    12 years ago

    hold on a minute let think for a minute,
    to pick this case as proof that molestation accusation is nonsense in most cases and that it does not happen and whatever, is wrong. It is like bringing in one story of a person who is alive because they did not wear seat belts. (if I have to explain I would be wasting my time)

    this does not by any chance disqualify any other case and definitely does not mean one should not go to the police. It that would happen that would be very sad and give molesters free rein. This sadly will be used by the naysayers, that abuse does not happen in the community and nothing needs to be done

    why are so many quickly to to defend lebowitz that he innocent and the kelner guy who is also frum guilty. Does it make more sense that a yid would extort money and destroy another yids life just for some cash?

    In addition to all who are now screaming see he was innocent, we do not know and remember their were more than one boy who accused him there where a few.

    Most likely kellner heard that lebowitz was being accused and saw an opportunity to make some fast cash from lebowitz’s son.

    shredready
    shredready
    12 years ago

    if true let them both rot

    Sherree
    Sherree
    12 years ago

    BL is a child molester and there are enough victims who came forward. Even Daskalowitz admitted that he was a victim of Boruch Lebowitz. Furthermore upon his conviction he shrugged and said he too was a victim of child molestation. Why would he say that if he wasn’t guilty. Use your brains people. This is all a ploy to get him out. It makes no sense and it will all come out later that this too was a lie. Hashem yirachem, what does it take to get through to the Rabbonim and the general public that this a plague on our people????

    How many lives need to be destroyed before this is taken seriously? I don’t know for sure what this story is about, but it is really fishy and smells to high heaven. How convenient and neat that this happened in in just one day Hynes has let him out. Give me a break, this is all tied up in a nice little package. I’m not buying it. It is too contrived.

    bgoldberg
    bgoldberg
    12 years ago

    Mazal Tov! At least the truth came out

    enlightened-yid
    enlightened-yid
    12 years ago

    The case is confusing. We either have a completely innocent man convicted based on lies from witnesses, or we still have a rich child molester who was being taken advantage of in an extortion scheme. Fortunately for other child molesters in these tight-knit frum communities, allegations will be shrugged off as extortion schemes or lying witnesses, but this case will be a set-back for real victims in the frum communities who already face pressure and resistance to bury these allegations from public eyes.

    DRE53
    DRE53
    12 years ago

    I beleived that all this encouraging in the last few years for “victims” of abuse to come foward, rather encouraged money hungry or attention hungry people to come foward.
    Together with all of klal yisroel, this is a very happy day for me

    grund
    grund
    12 years ago

    B”H I was zocha to hear this great news, lekuved pessach ahhh thank you hashem, borich matir asirim, yeshias hashem keherv eyen

    12 years ago

    I don’t know anything about this particular case, but I do know of two other cases where disturbed individuals falsely accused upstanding individuals of molestation. The consequences were devastating. There’s a good reason that the law deems the accused “innocent until proven guilty.” Too many people in VIN and similar venues are happy to attack anyone accused of molestation.

    Joe-Shmoe
    Joe-Shmoe
    12 years ago

    Look how low we have fallen! Someone gets accused of the lowest, (molestation) and everybody pounces on him! “he’s done it to sooo many kids” Everybody knew it all along! Well if all of you “know” he did it, why didn’t you report him to the authorities much earlier! (Being that all of you know hallacha, that it’s what must be done). Even worse, when the authorities sense it’s not such a clear cut case, and free him on bail, you “know” he did it to many more kids! (just the prosecutor doesn’t know it, otherwise he would’ve never agreed to bail! being that he still has a healthy case!). Sadly people have a problem swallowing that a yid goes free, must be (imho) that they just hate yiddin! the more he can be stepped on, rather than be hurt that another yid is sick, they feast on another yids woes!

    I’m not saying he didn’t do it. I’m not saying if he belongs in jail or not, that’s up to the prosecutor (if he has a case), Eitherway, I believe that wherever it happened, it must be dealt with asap!, it’s just to my sorrow that my own brothers are fueling the flames of anti semitism by being happy at a brothers downfall, desease, etc. King david says, binfol ovecha, even more ur brother.

    kneidel
    kneidel
    12 years ago

    Intresting that I was just talking with friends about him, even if he did do what they say he did he shouldn’t of gotten 32 years. I hope and pray that he should be released soon…

    itzik18
    itzik18
    12 years ago

    Rabbi Weingarten is next iy”H – there is much more corruption from the prosecution side against him than you can ever imagine – hopefully his neveilah of an ex wife will go away for a long long time – he just never had the strength to stand up against her