A therapist who counsels children and teens was arrested by the FBI Tuesday for allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old patient.
Prosecutors charged Elliot Halberstam of Bergenfield, New Jersey of filming his own sexual relations with the teenage boy.
Halberstam, who is listed as an assistant director with Jewish Family Service & Children's Center of Clifton-Passaic, is also accused of asking the teen to make numerous explicit videos that were later emailed or texted to him.
The FBI said it has the videos and graphic texts, and investigators searched his home Tuesday morning.
Halberstam rented hotel rooms to film some of his interactions with the teen, the FBI said, and in the criminal complaint, prosecutors detail nearly a dozen pages of graphic texts and emails the child therapist allegedly wrote to his minor patient.
Investigators said Halberstam set up sham email accounts to try to hide his online activity and sexual relations with his patient.
Calls and emails to Halberstam and his offices were not immediately returned.
During a court hearing Tuesday afternoon in federal court in Manhattan, Halberstam was ordered held without bail.
Prosecutors said Halberstam had been seeing the underage patient since at least 2011.
** The allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
** The allegations contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
That monster fooled many. He saw both of my boys for six years. Thank G-d they are okay and unharmed miraculously. May Gd help his family and anyone that he hurt!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou can't be sure, Mrs. Horrified Mom...
DeleteMinna - just seen that your own family got arrested for even worse crime... "dr" aaron.... I'm sure you will attack him as you attacked E who I witnessed you harrasing every week and you even admited helped you
DeleteDon't tell me that I can't be sure. You better believe I am 100% sure!
ReplyDeleteWe had a very close relationship. Do you think I even wanted to believe this?!
Yes we can be sure, if the evidence discovered is true and accurate. Amazingly enough, he "deep sixed" himself by leaving a trail of evidence for the FBI to follow.
I am normally pretty good about getting a real feel for a person. He was truly able to fool everyone.
We were truly blessed that we were able to benefit from his good side (it is very rare for a person to be totally good or totally bad). He helped my boys alot.
It was a blessing that my boys were never harmed. I am still in shock, as I met with him for a few minutes every time before he saw them.
My boys still miss him, and we still have not gotten a replacement therapist for them and the situation is crucial.
I am also a person who does not run to condemn. But from all of what I researched, you would have to be completely deaf, blind and forgive me, dumb, for not believing what is clearly evidence that Eli, himself, incriminated himself with.
I feel heartbroken for his beautiful wife, who I heard is doing very poorly and their three sweet children.
May you never know from such a horror on a personal level!