Hasidic men accused of witness tampering

NEW YORK, June 22 (UPI) -- Prosecutors accused four members of a New York ultra-Orthodox Jewish community of intimidating a victim in a sexual misconduct case.

Abraham Rubin and brothers Jacob, Joseph and Hertzka Berger, all of whom are from Brooklyn's Satmar Hasidic community, were charged Thursday with bribing an accuser in a sexual abuse case with $500,000 and threatening her boyfriend's business, The New York Times reported.

Prosecutors said Rubin, who is charged with bribery, witness tampering and coercion, was recorded offering the accuser's boyfriend the money and the Bergers, who are all charged with coercion, threatened the accuser's boyfriend and removed the kosher certification from his restaurant.

District Attorney Charles J. Hynes said the men's efforts were carried out to protect prominent Hasidic community member Nechemya Weberman, who has been charged with 88 counts of sexual misconduct.

"I'm hoping that this will be a message to those who are intimidated that they should come forward and help us," Hynes told a news conference. "No one can engage in this kind of conduct and feel free that, based on prior experience, nothing can happen to them."

Rubin and the Bergers have pleaded not guilty. Bruce Wenger, Hertzka Berger's lawyer, said after the arraignment that the four men "all deny the allegations."

"They are all obviously going to be fighting these cases vehemently," he said. "They are looking forward to their day in court."