Advocates Call on DA Gonzalez to Stand with Survivors and Reverse Decision to Free Child Rapist

BROOKLYN, NY (12/04/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, days before an expected hearing for convicted child rapist Nechemya Weberman on Tuesday, survivors, advocates from the Jewish community held a press conference demanding DA Eric Gonzalez reverse his decision to vacate Weberman's sentence and stand with survivors of abuse.

WATCH the press conference here.

Then Brooklyn DA, Charles Hynes, won a conviction against Weberman, with a judge sentencing him to 103 years, and was later reduced to 50 years. A few years after his sentencing, in 2021, DA Gonzalez asked then-Governor Cuomo to commute Weberman's sentence. Cuomo ultimately didn't do it. Now, Weberman's team filed a motion to vacate the sentence and reinstate it to time served with a commitment from DA Gonzalez that he would support the motion. If successful, he would be free immediately.

"Weberman was convicted in court for raping a 12 year-old over and over again for years. The victim courageously came forward, at great personal risk to herself, speaking for many other victims who couldn't. If Weberman is set free next week, District Attorney Gonzalez is signaling to survivors of sex abuse that he does not care about them. We urge the DA to reverse his decision to stand with a convicted rapist, and stand instead with survivors of sex abuse," said founder of ZAAk'AH and survivor Asher Lovy.

"Nechemya Weberman carries all of the predatory and unrepentant characteristics of a repeat offender, and should not be gifted early release. His lengthy sentence was an appropriate reflection of the physical and emotional terror he brought upon my client, Rivky Deutsch. Releasing Mr. Weberman after he has only served a fraction of his rightly-earned sentence is a slap in the face to Ms. Deutsch and all but guarantees the continued reluctance of true SA victims to come forward against powerful pedophiles like Mr. Weberman," said Sarena Townsend, Founding Partner at Townsend Law, PLLC and as Rivky Deutsch's attorney.

"Our first responsibility is to the survivor who endured years of abuse, intimidation, and retaliation simply for telling the truth. To overturn this sentence would disregard her bravery and reopen wounds she has fought so hard to heal. We must stand with her-and with every survivor who fears not being believed-by upholding accountability, not erasing it. We respectfully urge DA Gonzalez to reconsider his stance and join us in affirming a justice process that protects and honors survivors," said Emily Miles, Executive Director of the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault.

"As the director of Amudim, an organization devoted to survivor healing, it is inconceivable to me that people are fighting for clemency for Nechemya Weberman, a convicted child abuser who has never taken responsibility or shown remorse. What is even more painful is the total absence of empathy for the victim in these efforts. My deepest fear is not only the legal outcome, powerful forces will do what they do, but the message that follows, that he will be celebrated as a hero. That would devastate survivors, retraumatize victims, and very likely deter others from ever coming forward for the help they deserve," said Zvi Gluck Founder and CEO of Amudim Community Resources.

"Returning a convicted child rapist into the same community that worked to protect him is an abandonment of justice. It betrays his survivor. And it endangers other women and young girls in his community. In total, Nechemya Weberman was accused by seven survivors across two decades of abuse. Young girls and married women were his targets. His pattern of abuse and complete lack of remorse indicates he will likely only work harder to not get caught. Serial rapists are the worst of us, no matter what community they come from. As such, we call on the Court to uphold justice and honor survivors," said Minister Peace, Executive Director of Community for a Cause.

After Weberman's conviction in 2013 and during the trial, members of the Satmar community (an ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jews who live primarily in Monroe and Williamsburg) intimidated the victim and her family, including public disparagement, held a fundraiser that raised over $500,000 to support Weberman and attempted to bribe the victim. For more than a decade, factions within the Jewish community have worked to rewrite Weberman's crimes, casting him as a falsely accused martyr, and now seek to free him entirely. Weberman has shown no remorse for his actions and done nothing to help survivors of sex abuse.

Releasing Weberman early would endanger children and women, signaling to abusers that powerful allies can shield them from accountability. 1 in 4 girls, and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Children with disabilities are 2.9 times more likely than children without disabilities to be sexually abused. Survivors of child sex abuse are more likely to suffer from PTSD, depression and anxiety. Survivors may also face retaliation from institutions and community members, leading them to stay quiet and not come forward.