VIRGINIA/CONNECTICUT
New Haven Register
By Ed Stannard, New Haven Register
CHESHIRE >> A retired rabbi of Temple Beth David was acquitted Friday of three felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child, according to a spokeswoman for the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in Virginia.
Eric A. Silver, 73, was found not guilty by Norfolk Circuit Judge David Lannetti in a trial that began Thursday. The child he was accused of abusing was a female relative, said Amanda Howie, spokeswoman for the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
“I think it’s not a surprise,” said Martin Cobern, a past president of Beth David. “I think the whole thing was bogus from the beginning and I’m just sad that it destroyed [a year] of his life and his reputation.”
Silver testified in his own defense, according to the Virginian-Pilot newspaper. His lawyer, James Broccoletti, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
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