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Pandit Alleges Sex Abuse Victim was Seductress

Nirshan Perera

Lawyers for a Hindu priest on trial for sexually abusing a young woman sent to him for counseling began their arguments in a Queens, New York courtroom on Monday by attacking the prosecution's version of events and calling the alleged victim a seductress.

Mokesh Narine Prashad, a pandit of Indo-Guyanese descent, pleaded not guilty to sexual abuse in the first degree -- a crime which carries a maximum sentence of seven years and could lead to deportation hearings for the green card holder.

The charge stems from an incident which occurred over two years ago. According to prosecutors, Prashad, 35, drugged and fondled a 19-year-old woman whose mother sent her to him for spiritual guidance.

In her testimony on Wednesday, the alleged victim said she woke up naked in bed with Prashad. After a brief struggle, she stumbled out of his Ozone Park home and dialed 911 from a nearby convenience store.

However, Prashad's attorney Antony Colleluori slammed the prosecution's version of events in court on Monday, citing a lack of hard evidence and questioning the alleged victim's character.

"Our defense is it didn't occur," said Colleluori. "It never happened. It's not a mistake. It's not a misunderstanding. It's an out and out lie told by a young woman who basically was afraid of her family."

According to Colleluori, Prashad is the victim of a scorned seductress: The woman, who is now married with two children, made advances toward the priest and concocted the story after he rejected her, the lawyer claimed.

"Basically she wound up kissing him at the end of the session and he asked her to leave," said Colleluori. "She was afraid he was going to call her mother and tell her she had made a pass at him, so she made up this lie."

Colleluori, who teaches law at Hofstra University, sought to paint a starkly sympathetic image of Prashad. The priest runs a small temple in the Richmond Hill section of Queens and has about 50 followers who have been largely supportive of him. About 20 worshippers have attended court since the trial began last Tuesday; many have volunteered to be character witnesses on the priest's behalf.

Nevertheless, the trial has taken its toll on Prashad, who is married and has two small children, his attorney noted.

"These accusations have been devastating on him, his family and followers," Colleluori said. "He's withdrawn and has lost weight. His wife has also lost weight. It's a hard thing because the people who love you aren't going to bring this kind of thing up, but the people who don't like you are just going to talk about you behind your back."

"He has had to undergo a tremendous amount of personal pressure, as well as financial pressure," he added. "Let me tell you, a good defense in a case like this does not come cheaply. His family is probably about $ 100,000 in the hole."

Prashad, who has lived in the United States since the early 1990s, comes from a family of pandits, his attorney said. Both of his brothers are priests and he has a large extended family in New York.

Colleluori, who hopes to conclude his arguments by Wednesday, said he is optimistic about Prashad's chances for an acquittal.

"I think we're doing outstandingly well, but nothing is predictable," he said.

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