By Rich Bockmann
The Rev. Phillip Joubert, pastor of the Community Baptist Church in Bayside, was acquitted of rape charges Tuesday, but a Queens Supreme Court jury found him guilty of several lesser charges, including two counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
Joubert, 50, was accused of sexually abusing and raping a teenage daughter in his Bayside home in the summer of 2009.
The young woman took the stand last week and testified against her father who, when he was arrested in November 2009, submitted a written statement to police in which he denied the rape allegations, but admitted to touching his daughter inappropriately.
The two counts of first-degree sexual abuse are felonies and each carries a prison term of two to seven years. Judge Barry Krohn will decide whether or not they run concurrently at Joubert’s sentencing, which is scheduled for Dec. 15.
The two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of endangering the welfare of a child that Joubert was convicted of are misdemeanors carrying up to one year in jail.
Reach reporter Rich Bockmann by e-mail at rbockmann@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
