Rabbi accused of taping more than 150 nude women during Jewish ritual bath set to plead guilty to 52 counts of voyeurism

  • Barry Freundel, 63, former rabbi at Kesher Israel Congregation in Washington, DC, will enter plea today, says his lawyer Jeffrey Harris
  • Freundel was arrested last October after he was accused of secretly taping more than 150 women undressing during mikvah ritual
  • He is currently charged with six counts of voyeurism 

A rabbi accused of videotaping women at a Jewish ritual bath is set to plead guilty to 52 counts of voyeurism, according to his lawyer.

Barry Freundel, 63, was a rabbi at Georgetown's Kesher Israel Congregation for more than 25 years before his arrest last October. He is currently charged with six counts of voyeurism for videotaping six women.

His lawyer, Jeffrey Harris, said his client is expected enter the plea today at the Washington, DC, Superior Court.

Barry Freundel (above pictured outside of the DC Superior Court today), 63, is set to plead guilty to 52 counts of voyeurism following allegations that he videotaped women at a Jewish ritual bath

Barry Freundel (above pictured outside of the DC Superior Court today), 63, is set to plead guilty to 52 counts of voyeurism following allegations that he videotaped women at a Jewish ritual bath

In a closed-door meeting of victims last week, prosecutors said that Freundel had taped more than 150 women, though the statute of limitations bars them from charging him with many of the tapings

In a closed-door meeting of victims last week, prosecutors said that Freundel had taped more than 150 women, though the statute of limitations bars them from charging him with many of the tapings

In a closed-door meeting last week, prosecutors told victims, their spouses and some lawyers representing them that an investigation had determined Freundel had videotaped 152 women. 

Three people who were in the meeting spoke to the Associated Press and said it was revealed that 88 of the women had been filmed within the last three years, and another 64 were filmed going back to 2009.

A mikvah is used most frequently by people converting to Judaism and by observant Jewish women seven days after the end of their menstrual cycle as a way of becoming closer to God.

Police arrested Freundel on October 14 after a person associated with the mikvah discovered the hidden camera. 

They initially found videos of six women entering and exiting a mikvah shower, and court documents said Freundel appears on film setting up the recording device.

A search of his home turned up other media storage devices, and he was fired from the synagogue in November. 

Three victims who were in the meeting spoke to the Associated Press and said it was revealed that 88 of the women had been filmed within the last three years 

Three victims who were in the meeting spoke to the Associated Press and said it was revealed that 88 of the women had been filmed within the last three years 

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Rabbi Barry Freundel accused of taping nude women to plead guilty

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