Documentary record Bound by Fear
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Conviction Hindu and Hindu-derived contexts Richmond Hill, Queens, New York, USA · 2001

United States: Hindu priest convicted of sexually abusing a parishioner who came to him for counseling

Record class

Core record

Evidence status

Convicted

Authority role

priest, Gopal Temple, Richmond Hill

Organization

Gopal Temple, Richmond Hill, Queens

Spiritual nexus

The victim approached Prashad specifically in his capacity as priest, seeking spiritual counseling; he used a fabricated ritual ('a reading') as the pretext to isolate and assault her — the religious rite was the operative mechanism, not incidental to it.

  • Pastoral or clerical authority
  • Spiritual healing or treatment

Evidence structure

Proceedings

  1. 2001-04-01 · jury conviction

    New York State Supreme Court, Queens County (Kew Gardens). Mokesh Narine Prashad, a priest at the Gopal Temple in Richmond Hill, was found guilty by a jury of two counts of sexual abuse. A 19-year-old congregant testified she went to his home for counseling at her mother's suggestion; he told her to remove her blouse so he could perform a religious 'reading', then had her lie on the floor and rubbed her with alcohol and salt before assaulting her. Judge Ronald Hollie scheduled sentencing for 20 April 2001, with Prashad facing up to seven years; the final sentence imposed is not confirmed in available reporting and is not asserted here. No reversal or appeal is documented.

Documented coercion mechanisms

  • sought out as a spiritual counselor on her mother's suggestion
  • ritual pretext ('a reading') used to have her undress
  • assault at his home under the guise of a religious rite

Primary record

Sources

local newspaper court reporting verdict report 'Hindu priest convicted in sex abuse of teen', Queens Ledger/QNS (4 Apr. 2001).

Contemporary trial report: verdict, victim's testimony about the counseling visit and the 'reading' pretext, and the scheduled sentencing exposure.

Related record

Related cases · Hindu and Hindu-derived contexts

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