Long Island Child Therapist Charged with Distribution of Child Pornography

Press Release

Licensed Social Worker Distributed Videos of Infants Being Raped

Earlier today, Renee Hoberman, a licensed social worker, was arrested on charges of distribution of child pornography. The defendant was arraigned this afternoon at the federal courthouse in Central Islip before United States Magistrate Judge Arlene R. Lindsay on a complaint and ordered detained.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and <_w3a_listitem listvalue="Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Division (ATF)" datavalue="Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Division (ATF)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI)" datavalue="William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Daniel Brubaker, Inspector-in-Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division (USPIS)" datavalue="Daniel Brubaker, Inspector-in-Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division (USPIS)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Edward Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD)" datavalue="Edward Caban, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="James E. Dennehy, Director in Charge, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI)" datavalue="James E. Dennehy, Director in Charge, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Teri L. Donaldson, Inspector General, Department of Energy (DOE)" datavalue="Teri L. Donaldson, Inspector General, Department of Energy (DOE)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Anne T. Donnelly, District Attorney, Nassau County District Attorney (NCDA)" datavalue="Anne T. Donnelly, District Attorney, Nassau County District Attorney (NCDA)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI)" datavalue="Thomas Fattorusso, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York (IRS-CI)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Patrick Freaney, Special Agent-in-Charge, United States Secret Service (USSS)" datavalue="Patrick Freaney, Special Agent-in-Charge, United States Secret Service (USSS)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Eric Gonzalez, District Attorney, Kings County District Attorney (KCDA)" datavalue="Eric Gonzalez, District Attorney, Kings County District Attorney (KCDA)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Steven G. James, Acting Superintendent, New York State Police (NYSP)" datavalue="Steven G. James, Acting Superintendent, New York State Police (NYSP)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Melinda Katz, District Attorney, Queens County District Attorney (QCDA)" datavalue="Melinda Katz, District Attorney, Queens County District Attorney (QCDA)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Sharon MacDermott, Special Agent-in-Charge, Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG)" datavalue="Sharon MacDermott, Special Agent-in-Charge, Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Michael McMahon, District Attorney, Staten Island District Attorney (SIDA)" datavalue="Michael McMahon, District Attorney, Staten Island District Attorney (SIDA)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Michael Nestor, Inspector General, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Office of the Inspector General (PANYNJ-OIG)" datavalue="Michael Nestor, Inspector General, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Office of the Inspector General (PANYNJ-OIG)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD)" datavalue="Patrick J. Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department (NCPD)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Kenneth J. Siegler, Resident Agent-in-Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), New York Resident Agency" datavalue="Kenneth J. Siegler, Resident Agent-in-Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), New York Resident Agency"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Sidney Simon, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office" datavalue="Sidney Simon, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Frank A Tarentino III, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division" datavalue="Frank A Tarentino III, Special Agent-in-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Raymond A. Tierney, District Attorney, Suffolk County District Attorney (SCDA)" datavalue="Raymond A. Tierney, District Attorney, Suffolk County District Attorney (SCDA)"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Robert Waring, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD)" datavalue="Robert Waring, Acting Commissioner, Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD)">William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI) and Patrick Ryder, Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department announced the <_w3a_listitem listvalue="charges" datavalue="charges"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="deferred prosecution agreement" datavalue="deferred prosecution agreement"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="extradition" datavalue="extradition"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="extraditions" datavalue="extraditions"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="guilty plea" datavalue="guilty plea"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="guilty pleas" datavalue="guilty pleas"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="investigation" datavalue="investigation"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="sentence" datavalue="sentence"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="sentences" datavalue="sentences"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="settlement" datavalue="settlement"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="verdict" datavalue="verdict"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="verdicts" datavalue="verdicts">charges.

"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."

"This case is an example of the vital work our investigators do every day in cooperation with our dedicated partners in federal law enforcement," said Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. "The hard working and diligent detectives of the Nassau County Police Department will continue to work tirelessly to protect the innocent, and we will never stop fighting to bring those who victimize children to justice."

As set forth in the complaint, between June 2024 and October 2024, Hoberman allegedly used social media messaging apps to upload digital videos depicting one or more minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including several videos of infants six months to one year of age being physically restrained and raped by an adult male, as the infants cried and frantically screamed for the duration of the videos. As recently as on or about October 16, 2024, the defendant uploaded child pornography and engaged in multiple chats concerning child sexual molestation. In these chats, the defendant, purporting to be a man, claimed to have multiple minor children and stated that "he" would have anal sex with the children and would punish them by getting naked, stripping the children naked, and spanking them while the other children watched. The defendant invited another user to visit "his" family in New York to spank the children. In addition, the defendant described sexually abusing "his" children and their friends, and then sent two videos containing child sexual abuse material, claiming that these videos depicted the user's own children.

According to public records and as alleged in the complaint, Hoberman works as a therapist with an organization based in Melville, New York and serves children aged 0-17.

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.

The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Hoberman faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The government's case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office's Long Island Division. Assistant United States <_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Attorney" datavalue="Attorney"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Attorneys" datavalue="Attorneys">Attorneys James R. Simmons and Russell Noble are in charge of the prosecution.

The <_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Defendant" datavalue="Defendant"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="Defendants" datavalue="Defendants">Defendant:

Renee Hoberman, also known as "Rina Hoberman"
Age: 36
Plainview, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-MJ-588

Contact

Updated October 23, 2024