NEW YORK
New York Daily News
BY OREN YANIV / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013
Three Brooklyn brothers admitted they tried to bully the boyfriend of a Hasidic sex abuse victim before an explosive trial but received no jail time from the judge Thursday.
Jacob, Joseph and Hertzka Berger ripped the kosher certificate off the wall at a restaurant owned by Hershy Deutsch, the now-husband of the star witness against the influential Hasidic counselor Nechemya Weberman.
Although prosecutors insisted they should get at least 30 days in jail for misdemeanor coercion, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun allowed the trio to plead guilty and get conditional discharge.
They only have to stay out of trouble for one year, with Jacob Berger, who also pleaded to felony mischief, required to pay a $500 fine.
“It’s over,” said his lawyer Michael Cibella. He added prosecutors “took a hardline stance of jail only” because of the high-profile nature of the case.
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