Melville child therapist facing child pornography charges, held without bail
MELVILLE, New York (WABC) -- A Melville child therapist is accused of distributing sexually explicit videos of infants on social media and allegedly making references to "hands-on touching" of kids in online chat rooms.
Renee Hoberman, 36, was ordered to be held without bail when she appeared in federal court in Central Islip Wednesday afternoon.
Her Plainview home was searched Wednesday following her arrest, and several electronic devices were seized, including an iPhone.
"It's upsetting. Half our block are kids and they're all great kids, so hearing something like that, you never know what's going on behind closed doors and stuff like that," said neighbor Nick Randisi.
Authorities say the Homberman's iPhone contained several videos of child sexual abuse in a hidden photos folder and sexual images of children shared with others on a Telegram account.
Hoberman, who also goes by the first name Rina, has worked as a part-time licensed therapist for LifeStance Health in Melville, where she advertises her services for working with children up to age 17, since 2022.
She has since been terminated. A spokesperson for LifeStance Health provided a statement saying,
"It has been brought to our attention that Renee Hoberman, a part-time provider at the Melville, New York office was arrested on October 23, 2024, on one charge of distribution of child pornography. We take this matter extremely seriously and have immediately terminated the provider and are working with patients to transfer care to other providers. We have not received any information from authorities indicating that any patients have been impacted by the alleged activity. We intend to cooperate fully with the investigation."
Hoberman also provided youth counseling services to children at South Oaks Hospital in Amityville from 2016 to 2021.
She worked at elementary schools and mental health clinics before becoming a licensed social worker, according to her LifeStance biography page.
Hoberman is being accused of using messaging apps to upload sexually abusive images of minors, including videos of a man raping infants a year old or younger.
"I haven't seen her since she was a little tiny kid and all of a sudden, she's grown up and she's moved out and she came back and she's a monster, and you're like what happened," Randisi said.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), and Patrick Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department announced the charges against Hoberman.
"As alleged, Hoberman distributed heinous and disturbing child pornography, including videos showing infants being restrained and raped. Additionally, while posing as a man, Hoberman, who is a therapist serving children, claimed to have produced child pornography and offered others the opportunity to sexually abuse children," stated United States Attorney Peace. "Our investigation into Hoberman is ongoing, and we urge anyone with information to contact HSI's tip line. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will relentlessly pursue predators who victimize children and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law."
If convicted, Hoberman faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.
Anyone with information about sexual exploitation by the defendant is asked to contact HSI at HSI's tip line: (866) 347-2423 or via HSI's website: https://www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form.
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