A judge in the US sentenced two members of the Lev Tahor cult who were involved in the kidnapping of ultra-Orthodox children in 2018 to prison terms. Another friend of the two was released after the judge ruled that he had spent enough time in custody since his arrest in March 2021 until last week
Three Lev Tahor sect members were sentenced to actual imprisonment for their roles in the kidnapping of children in 2018. Two of them will serve prison terms, the third was released after the judge determined that he had served enough time since his arrest in March 2021. During the sentencing last Friday, one of the defendants, Mordechai Malka, read a speech in which he apologized profusely for his role in the crime. But the judge rejected his words and pointed out his lack of remorse during the trial itself and sentenced him to 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Last Wednesday, September 7, the judge also sentenced Matathiyo Moshe Malka and Yaakov Rosner for their roles in the kidnapping. Jacob Rosner was found guilty of kidnapping a 12-year-old boy and his 14-year-old sister in 2018, who were kidnapped from New York to Mexico. During the sentencing, Jacob Rosner spoke of his remorse and his “awakening to the toxic reality of the sect”. The judge was convinced and released Rosner due to the time he has already been in custody since March 2021.
Matityahu Moshe Malka was found guilty for his part in another kidnapping attempt of the same children at a later date. Unlike his accomplice, the judge gave Malka 66 months in prison after giving a speech to the court, but the judge was not convinced. His brother Mordechai Malka is still awaiting his sentence. The arrests and punishments caused every Pure Heart community that lived in squalid buildings in Guatemala to abandon their homes and disperse around the globe. They also changed their traditional Hasidic clothing to a more unique look.
In addition, these days the Weingarten brothers’ gang, leaders of the Lev Tahor cult, are on trial, where they will stand trial for a host of alleged crimes, including child abduction, beating, starvation, and abuse. They were extradited last April from Guatemala to the US for prosecution in the child kidnapping case. These are brothers Yoel, Shmuel and Jacob Weingarten who were prosecuted before an American federal judge in New York last April.
As you may recall, last April the court sentenced the sect’s leader, Nachman Halberantz, to 12 years in prison for abusing and kidnapping children. Another defendant in the case, Meir Rosner, received the same sentence since he took part in the crimes.