Brooklyn DA Charges 4 Ultra-Orthodox Men in Unusual Witness-Intimidation Case
After weeks of controversy over a New York prosecutor’s routine policy of not identifying ultra-Orthodox Jewish defendants in sex-crime cases, in order to encourage victims to come forward without fear of harassment, an unusual case has been brought against four men from the community who allegedly tried to intimidate a witness.
The four, who are accused of offering a young woman and her boyfriend a $500,000 bribe not to testify against a prominent member of the Hasidic community who the woman accused of committing sex crimes against her when she was a young teen, pleaded not guilty Thursday in a Brooklyn courtroom packed with their supporters, according to the Associated Press and the New York Times (sub. req.).
Hundreds of Hasidic men participated in a fundraiser last month to cover legal costs for the 53-year-old defendant in the underlying case, who faces dozens of sex charges concerning the young woman to whom authorities say they offered the $500,000 bribe.
Related coverage:
New York Daily News: “Brooklyn district attorney fires back at critics over practice of not naming orthodox Jewish sex-abuse defendants”
