Jan 5, 2024 1:10 PM
Updated:
Gershon Selinger, a self-confessed child molester who was interviewed on a podcast in July by a popular Haredi comedian, has entered a plea deal with the Dutchess County Court on Wednesday related to charges that surfaced following the podcast interview, the JTA reported.
Selinger will be sentenced in March and serve five years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. This is his second conviction. In 2015, Selinger was arrested for a separate offense, and he avoided prison time by attending an in-patient therapy program.
In July, Shtetl reported on the interview, which Selinger gave to Chabad comedian Mendy Pellin, in which he described in graphic detail some of the abuse he had committed, both as a minor himself and as a married adult. In one instance, he described being angry with his wife during a visit with family friends, so he molested a young member of that family while pretending to play with her.
In the interview, Selinger traced his uncontrollable urges to the first time he visited a mikvah at around age three.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, addressing the new charges and the plea deal, Pellin revealed that the victim decided to come forward after seeing the interview:
“When she came across my interview with Gershon - she started shaking uncontrollably. Her body never forgot. The pain was too great. The details described by Gershon lit a spark that brought back her traumatic memories. He was talking about her! It also gave her the courage, after all these years, to take action.
“After processing what she saw she called me to express gratitude. She also let me know that she went to the police to press charges against her abuser: Gershon Selinger.
“Today, Gershon Selinger was arrested and charged with additional child sexual abuse charges as a result of incriminating himself in his interview with me.”