Woman gets prison for sex with boy, 15

A 29-year-old woman who had sex with a teenage boy receiving religious instructions in the Jewish faith from her husband was sentenced to three years in prison yesterday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. Marni Nasia-Rubin, the estranged wife of the cantor at Congregation Etz Chayim, 3853 Woodley Rd., was sentenced by Judge Ronald Bowman. She was convicted Sept. 10 of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Nasia-Rubin, who had no prior criminal history, could have been placed on community control. The maximum sentence for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor is five years. Nasia-Rubin seemed stunned as Judge Bowman told her the sentence. She sobbed throughout the hearing, and looked tearfully at her mother and other family members as deputies placed her in handcuffs. In apologizing before sentencing, she said her actions caused her to lose her husband of eight years and custody of their daughter. She said she was shunned by the congregation, which was an important part of her life during her marriage to the cantor. "Our door was open to many kids to come to stay with us over the years. Nothing like this happened to me before. I was emotionally divorced from my husband. [The victim] was someone to listen to me, and I was willing to listen to him. Who made the first move, I am not sure," Nasia-Rubin said. "I take full responsibility for my actions, and ask the court to have mercy on me," said Nasia-Rubin, who moved to Southfield, Mich., where her family lives, after the incident was reported to police. The boy`s mother and stepfather were in the courtroom. After sentencing, the boy`s mother said she doubted Nasia-Rubin was remorseful. "She knew exactly what she was doing. I feel she was sorry that she got caught," the mother said. She said she hoped the long sentence would send a message to others who might prey on teenage children for sex. Authorities said Nasia-Rubin initiated a sexual relationship with the 15-year-old boy while he was receiving instructions in Judaism from her husband, Evan Rubin. The couple is now separated. Judge Bowman said the case generated more letters than any other during his 16 years on the bench. He said as the wife of the cantor, she must be held to a higher standard. A jail sentence was appropriate because of the victim`s age, the psychological harm it caused, and the use of her position within the congregation to facilitate the crime, the judge said. The relationship, which was consensual, began about May 24 and continued through mid-July, when the victim`s mother confronted the defendant. Authorities said Nasia-Rubin had sex with the victim at her apartment on Sylvania Avenue in West Toledo and in her vehicle. The sexual contact did not occur at the synagogue. Prosecutors said the boy`s mother became suspicious of the relationship and confirmed it by going into her son`s computer and reading his e-mails. The incident was reported to police in July as a referral by Lucas County Children Services.