By Edith Honan
NEW YORK, Dec 10 (Reuters) - An ultra-Orthodox Jewish
counselor was found guilty of sexually abusing a young female
patient in the insular Brooklyn community where they lived,
prosecutors said on Monday.
A jury in New York State Supreme Court convicted Nechemya
Weberman, 54, of sexual conduct against a child, criminal sexual
acts, sexual abuse, and endangering the welfare of a child. He
faces 117 years behind bars when sentenced on Jan. 9.
The trial centered on a three-year period starting in 2007
when the victim's parents hired Weberman, an unlicensed
therapist, to counsel their 12-year-old daughter. Prosecutors
have said that over the next several years, Weberman sexually
abused the girl, mostly in his office.
"The victim showed great courage to come forward in a very
difficult time," Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes
said in a statement announcing the verdict. "Hopefully, this
verdict will lead to the understanding for other women that they
can come forward as well."
The trial was marred by accusations of witness intimidation.
At one point, four men were accused of photographing the
victim in court, then posting her image on Twitter. The identity
of victims in sex abuse cases is typically protected.
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