Renee Hoberman, Long Island child therapist, sentenced to 84 months in prison for sharing child sexual abuse material through encrypted social media apps

A federal court on Friday (February 20, 2026) sentenced a female child therapist from Long Island to 84 months (seven years) in prison for distributing child sexual abuse videos online and posing as a father who abused his own children. The therapist, identified as Renee “Rina” Hoberman, 36, was slammed by prosecutors who called her a vile “predator” who “got off to the helpless screams of babies” at the federal sentencing hearing in Central Islip, according to The New York Post.

She engaged in multiple online “chats” concerning child sexual molestation, the press release said. “In these chats, the defendant, posing as the father of several minor children, claimed to have sex with the children and punish them,” it stated.

Calling her a “danger” to society, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin McTague told the court, “Her conduct is simply grotesque.” “Today, Renee Hoberman was sentenced for distributing sordid images and videos depicting the horrific sexual abuse of the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society: infants and children,” stated United States Attorney Nocella, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.


“The defendant’s access to children has come to an end. Our Office will relentlessly pursue child predators and hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” the release further stated.

Hoberman used encrypted social media apps to trade videos, images

There were more than 100 images on Hoberman’s devices and accounts, The NY Post reported. Several images involved the stomach-turning sexual abuse of young toddlers and even newborns. The defendant, Hoberman, a licensed social worker from Plainview, was arrested on October 23, 2024, and pleaded guilty on June 18, 2025, the DOJ release said. She has been incarcerated since her arrest.

She reportedly distributed child pornography videos on the social media app Kik, including footage of a baby less than one year old being sexually exploited, according to the NY Post. She shared the videos in 2024 while working in Melville as a therapist with kids 17 years old and younger.

"The absolute depravity of Renee Hoberman's crimes, committed while she was entrusted as a mental health counselor for children, represents a staggering betrayal of the public trust and a horrific violation of innocent lives,” stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Alfonso, as quoted in the DOJ press release.

“I hope the defendant's sentencing delivers a measure of justice to the Long Island community and offers hope for healing to her traumatized victims, who deserve to know that their suffering has not gone unanswered. HSI New York and our partners relentlessly investigated this case, and we remain unyielding in our commitment to protect vulnerable communities from predators in every form," Alfonso added.

What did Hoberman’s defense attorney say in court?

On Friday, Hoberman’s defense attorney, Evan Sugar, told the court that she was abandoned and sexually abused herself as a child, The NY Post reported. The attorney, however, did not go into details. She later turned to drugs, including crack, to cope with the trauma and said she is now 16 months sober. He asked Judge Joanna Seybert to sentence her to 2 to 3 years in prison. But Seybert was not convinced.

“These are babies!” Seybert said, as quoted by the NY Post. “Something needs to be done—and jail is a deterrent.” Hoberman also spoke to the court and apologized to her family and victims in the videos. “What I’ve been through is no excuse for my actions,” she told the judge.