Rabbi pleads guilty to child endangerment

Rabbi Yaakov Weiss admitted Jan. 11 to “inappropriate physical contact” with an underage boy in a plea bargain made in upstate New York.

Weiss, 29, a married father, pleaded guilty to one count of child endangerment for telling a 14-year-old boy to “just say nothing happened” if asked about a 2007 incident, according to the Times Union of Albany, N.Y. Weiss is the founder of the Chabad of Colonie, N.Y., and the Chabad Hebrew School.

He was facing four counts of child endangerment and sexual abuse stemming from incidents with two boys in a mikvah. The Times Union reported that the boys were naked.

Weiss, who said the allegations against him are baseless, is facing 60 days in jail and will not have to register as a sex offender. — jta