Washington rabbi charged with voyeurism still being investigated

By John Clarke
Reuters
November 12, 2014

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/12/us-usa-districtofcolumbia-rabbi-idUSKCN0IW2FU20141112

(Reuters) - Prosecutors and defense lawyers told a judge on Wednesday that a prominent Washington rabbi accused of secretly filming women taking ritual baths is still being investigated and there may be more victims, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office said on Wednesday.

The suspect, Rabbi Barry Freundel, 62, was arrested in October at his home in the U.S. capital's upscale Georgetown neighborhood, a few blocks from his modern Orthodox synagogue, Kesher Israel Congregation.

He pleaded not guilty in District of Columbia Superior Court to six counts of voyeurism, a misdemeanor.

During a hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Zubrensky told Senior Judge Patricia Wynn that her office had created a section on the Justice Department's website for alleged victims.

The section asks possible victims to contact the U.S. Attorney's office with any information.

No plea offer was made and the investigation is continuing, said Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Wynn also ordered Freundel, who is free on his own recognizance, not to leave the country, Miller said.

The court has ordered Freundel to stay away from people he had helped convert to Judaism and participated with in the Jewish ritual bathing process known as mikvah, according to court documents.

He was also ordered to stay away from the Kesher Israel synagogue and the National Capital Mikvah. Freundel's congregation has included Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. 

Calls seeking comment from Freundel's attorney, Jeffrey Harris, were not immediately returned. A status hearing is set for Jan. 16.