Renee Hoberman: Long Island Child Therapist Pleads Guilty to Distributing Child Pornography Involving Infants

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Warning: This post contains graphic details of child abuse.

A licensed social worker Renee Hoberman —who also went by the name "Rina"—has pleaded guilty to distributing and receiving child pornography, including videos of infants being sexually abused. 

The 36-year-old therapist from Plainview, New York, admitted to her crimes in federal court in Central Islip on June, 18, 2025, and now faces 5 to 20 years in prison.  

Renee Hoberman 


Prior to her arrest, Hoberman used to work as a child therapist at LifeStance Health in Melville, helping kids under 17 with their mental health.

Before that, she also worked at South Oaks Hospital in Amityville and briefly at Vincent Smith School in Port Washington.

However, School officials said she was only at the school for eight days in April 2024 before being let go.

Even though she worked closely with children in a trusted role, authorities found that Hoberman was living a double life. 

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hoberman used encrypted messaging apps, including Kik and Telegram, to upload, receive, and trade explicit material involving minors. 

One of the most disturbing videos was that of an infant, between six months and one year old, being restrained and raped by an adult male, while the victim cried and screamed throughout the assaults.  

Hoberman also engaged in online chat discussions in which she posed as a father who sexually abused his own children as a form of punishment. 

Using usernames like "badgurl854" and "Daddywhospanks Naked," she clearly described how she abused her imaginary kids, which included forcing them to have anal sex, and spanking them while other children watched.

In these chats, she invited another user to visit New York to participate in the abuse of the imaginary minors. 

Additionally, she distributed two videos of child sexual abuse, falsely claiming they were her own children.  

Her crimes were eventually uncovered after authorities received multiple tips from Kik about an account sharing child pornography. 

Renee Hoberman 


When authorities searched her home, they uncovered disturbing evidence, including an iPhone containing a hidden folder with child sexual abuse material. 

She later confessed to her crimes during interrogation

Hoberman admitted to criminal investigators that she had a preference for violent pornography involving children under three years old and derived perverse pleasure from the content. 

Hoberman was arrested on October 23, 2024, following an extensive investigation. 

She faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with a maximum of 20 years. 

"The defendant admitted to distributing extremely vile and unthinkable videos depicting the horrific sexual abuse of babies," said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr.  

"These crimes should outrage every decent member of our society," he added.

Authorities continue to urge anyone with additional information to contact Homeland Security Investigations.

Hoberman’s neighbors in Plainview have expressed shock at the crime, with one saying: 

"I haven’t seen her since she was a little kid... and now she’s a monster. What happened?" — Nick Randisi, neighbor.

Both LifeStance Health and South Oaks Hospital confirmed Hoberman’s termination and stated they are cooperating fully with the criminal investigation.  

"We have not received any information indicating that patients were impacted by her alleged actions," a LifeStance spokesperson said, as per Connecticut News.

Hoberman’s sentencing is pending, but she faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years behind bars. 

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department Of Justice initiative which targets online child exploitation.  

If you have information about this case, contact HSI’s tip line at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP. 

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