Convicted Rabbi In "Coerced Get" Case Sentenced To 10 Years

In April, three defendants were convicted in federal district court in New Jersey on charges growing out of arrangements to abduct, beat and torture recalcitrant Jewish husbands who refused to give their civilly divorced wives a religious divorce document (get). (See prior posting.)  Yesterday the most prominent of those defendants, 70-year old Rabbi Mendel Epstein, was sentenced to ten years in prison for conspiracy to commit kidnapping.  A second defendant, Rabbi Binyamin Stimler, was sentenced to 39 months. As reported by AP, Rabbi Epstein told the sentencing judge: "Over the years, I guess, I got caught up in my tough-guy image. Truthfully, it helped me — the reputation — convince many of these reprobates to do the right thing."