On Nov. 8, accused sex-offender Mendel Tevel pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn to charges that he sexually abused a minor for several months six years ago, according to CBS New York. Tevel accepted the court’s offer for $100,000 bail and is no longer in custody.
Tevel was working at the JEM Center, a Beverly Hills Jewish youth center, at the time of his arrest on Oct. 29 by Beverly Hills police who were acting on a warrant issued by New York officials. He was extradited to New York on Nov. 7.
In an article in the Jewish Journal in August, four men alleged they had been victims of Tevel as minors. Each claimed Tevel performed acts, which included spanking on bare skin, as well as sexually suggestive rubbing. The instances described by those who spoke with the Journal took place as early as around 1995 and as recently as around 2004.
Tevel was indicted by a grand jury before the DA’s office pressed charges against him. It is not known how many alleged victims appeared before the grand jury in the case. All of the allegations of abuse for which he has been charged occurred in New York and Pennsylvania.
Tevel’s wife, Bracha; their 3-month-old daughter; and other relatives accompanied Tevel in court, according to CBS New York.
