BROOKLYN, NY – A federal judge has denied a petition for habeas corpus filed by Nechemya Weberman, a former spiritual counselor in Brooklyn’s Satmar Hasidic community who was convicted in state court of sexually abusing a teenage girl over a period of several years.
U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan of the Eastern District of New York issued the ruling in Weberman v. Collado, rejecting Weberman’s claim that his conviction violated federal constitutional rights. The petition was filed under 28 U.S.C. § 2254, which allows state prisoners to challenge their convictions in federal court.
Weberman, who served as a religious mentor within the ultra-Orthodox community, was convicted in Kings County Supreme Court of one count of course of sexual conduct against a child in the first degree, along with dozens of counts of criminal sexual acts and sexual abuse. The charges stemmed from allegations that he repeatedly assaulted a teenage girl he was counseling between 2007 and 2010.
According to court records, the victim — then a 12-year-old sent to Weberman for guidance after clashing with her religious school’s strict rules — testified in detail about years of escalating sexual abuse. The sessions, which began under the guise of counseling, continued twice weekly for months and later stretched over several years. The victim described freezing in fear during the first assault, a reaction Judge Cogan noted is consistent with trauma response recognized in law and psychology.
Weberman’s habeas petition raised multiple arguments, including claims of due process violations and insufficiency of the evidence. The court found none meritorious, ruling that the state proceedings were constitutionally sound and that the trial record provided ample evidence to support the jury’s verdict.
Judge Cogan’s memorandum emphasized that federal habeas review is not a retrial, but a narrow examination of whether state courts acted contrary to clearly established federal law. Finding no such errors, the court denied relief in full.
- Nechemya Weberman’s habeas corpus petition denied by federal judge in Brooklyn
- Weberman was convicted of 57 sex offenses and child endangerment in Kings County
- Court finds state proceedings constitutionally sound and evidence sufficient for conviction