New York rabbi gets prison for stealing disabled preschoolers’ funds

Samuel Hiller to spend up to 3 years behind bars for diverting $5 million from child development center to cover personal expenses

By AP 18 October 2017, 12:25 am Edit
Rabbi Samuel Hiller leaves the New York court house on October 17, 2017. (Screen capture/YouTube)
Rabbi Samuel Hiller leaves the New York court house on October 17, 2017. (Screen capture/YouTube)

NEW YORK — A New York City rabbi has been sentenced to prison for stealing $5 million in funding intended for disabled preschoolers.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown and state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced Tuesday that Samuel Hiller will spend one to three years behind bars.

Hiller was assistant director of the now-defunct Island Child Development Center. It provided services to Orthodox Jewish communities in Far Rockaway, Queens, and Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Borough Park neighborhoods.

Restitution is part of Hiller’s plea agreement.

Three co-defendants also pleaded guilty for their involvement in the thefts, which occurred between 2005 and 2012.

Prosecutors say they diverted money to relatives, to businesses and to cover personal expenses including a family wedding, home renovations and jewelry.

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