Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A Brooklyn man has admitted traveling to New Jersey to coerce a Jewish man to give his wife a religious divorce — called a "get" — through threats of violence.
The U.S. attorney's office says David Hellman pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Trenton.
Prosecutors say the 31-year-old personal trainer was part of a plot involving several men, including two rabbis, who arranged religious divorces through torture and kidnapping.
The men were arrested in October 2013 in an undercover operation. The sting involved an FBI agent posing as a woman trying to get a divorce, who contacted the rabbis. According to court filings, one rabbi spoke about forcing compliance through "tough guys."
Hellman is facing up to 20 years in prison at his June 12 sentencing.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
