Survivor of Nechemya Weberman Fights Convicted Child Rapist's Early Release

BROOKLYN, NY (12/08/2025) (readMedia)-- On Thursday, just days before a scheduled Tuesday re-sentencing hearing for convicted child rapist Nechemya Weberman, attorneys for Rivky Deutsch - whom Weberman raped and abused for years, beginning when she was only 12 - submitted a brief opposing his bid for early release. Last month, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced his support for Weberman, a prominent figure in the ultra-Orthodox Satmar community, undermining justice for Rivky Deutsch and the years of documented harm she endured.

Read the full brief here.

In the brief, attorneys challenged Weberman's request for release 37 years early, arguing that his 50-year sentence is neither cruel, unusual, nor disproportionate. They contend that "only a lengthy sentence would satisfy the tenets of justice and protect society from Mr. Weberman," noting that he has not been rehabilitated and continues to pose "an extreme danger to society."

Attorneys also argued that releasing Weberman now will only further silence survivors like Deutsch because of the immense support Weberman has already received from his community. For more than a decade, Weberman's Satmar community has worked to rewrite his crimes, casting him as a falsely accused martyr, and now seek to free him entirely. As the brief notes, "The reason he is so dangerous is the same reason Your Honor is only hearing from one victim at sentencing: it is because he not only commits the crime, he is also untouchable."

Weberman has shown no remorse for his actions and done nothing to help survivors of sex abuse.

The filing comes one day after survivors and 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.

Background:

In 2013, then-Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes won a conviction against Weberman, with a judge sentencing him to 103 years, which 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 has 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, Weberman would be free immediately.

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.

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.