April 13, 2010
Rabbi gets maximum sentence in molestation case
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A Brooklyn rabbi was given the maximum prison sentence for sexually assaulting a male teenager.
Rabbi Baruch Lebovits was sentenced to 10 years and eight months to 32 years in prison on Monday by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Patricia DiMango, the New York Daily News reported. He received consecutive sentences on eight counts of sexual abuse.
Lebovits, the father of seven and grandfather of 24, declined to address the court before the sentence was pronounced. The rabbi, who owns a travel agency in Borough Park, was convicted early last month of sexually molesting the Jewish teen in 2004 and 2005. The victim, now 22, testified in court that the rabbi assaulted him in his car several times over a 10-month period, luring him into the vehicle with promises that he could drive, the Daily News reported.
The rabbi told authorities that he had been a victim of sexual abuse as a youngster, according to Lebovits’ probation report, which was read in court, the Daily News reported.
Lebovits is awaiting trial on charges of molesting two other minors.
