Brooklyn Rabbi Arrested in Child Porn Case

A Brooklyn rabbi who teaches at a girl's seminary has been arrested on a child pornography distribution charge.

Prosecutors announced the arrest Wednesday of 52-year-old Samuel Waldman at his Brooklyn residence.

A criminal complaint in federal court in Manhattan charged Waldman with distributing child pornography over the Internet in November by enabling others to download multiple videos depicting children in sexual acts, including girls ages 4 to 11.

Waldman was charged with one count of transporting or distributing child pornography. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

He was released on $100,000 bond after an initial court appearance. He was also ordered to have no unsupervised contact with children and no employment with access to children.

His lawyer declined comment.

A friend of Waldman told NBC 4 New York he was in shock from the arrest. 

"I know the gentleman, I know this person, everything about him," said Leo Eckstein. "There's not one grain of truth in this alleged situation." 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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