Rabbi molested own daughter
Photo: Shaul Golan
US rabbi gets 30 years for child molestation
Judge slams convicted rabbi for putting molested daughter through grueling cross examination
Going to jail: A New York rabbi convicted of molesting his daughter has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Monsey rabbi Israel Weingarten was found guilty in March of abusing his daughter through much of her childhood. The trial was traumatic for his victim, who is now 27.
Weingarten acted as his own attorney and put his daughter through a grueling cross examination.
During the trial, Weingarten's ex-wife testified against the rabbi and said that on one occasion she found him half-naked in bed with his daughter. On another occasion during the trial, Weingarten brought his own son to tears while cross examining him regarding a suicide letter.
Federal Judge John Gleeson told Weingarten on Friday that his behavior during the trial had made his crime even worse, saying "You seemed to enjoy yourself in a perverse sort of way."
The judge said he would never forget the woman's pain.
