'Split right down the middle': Released juror would have acquitted Hasidic leader in underage sex trial, others torn

One of the alternate jurors released today from serving on the explosive sex trial of a prominent Hasidic leader said she would have voted to acquit — and two other dismissed jurors said they would only have voted to convict him on some of the charges.

“I didn’t have enough evidence to nail the person. No video, no DNA,” said the juror, a middle-aged black woman. “There wasn’t enough evidence for me. Both sides were a little shady.”

Nechmya Weberman, 54, allegedly forced himself on a 12-year-old Brooklyn girl for three years after she was sent to him for counseling, prosecutors charge.

Spencer Burnett

Nechemya Weberman, a prominent Hasidic leader accused of sex crimes against a 12-year-old girl, leaves Brooklyn Supreme Court today. The jury, still deliberating, is reportedly torn.

The 12-person jury who will decide his fate began deliberations today, so the five alternate jurors were released from duty.

Two other alternate jurors said they would have voted to acquit Weberman of some of the 60 counts he faces.

“I still think there is enough evidence to convict — some of the charges at least,” said a white male juror in his 30s, who said he would have voted Weberman guilty of sex abuse and child endangerment, but not on the top count of sexual conduct against a child.

Weberman could face 25 years on the top count alone.

“I don’t know what the jury’s going to do. I think they are split right down the middle. I was split down the middle as well. It’s a tough one,” the juror said. “I thought there was a lack of evidence there. At the same time the Hasidic community does hide a lot. You can see it.”

Another alternate juror said he believed Weberman did abuse the girl in his office, but would not have voted to convict on every charge.

“I think he’s guilty, but it’s a matter of what he’s guilty of,” the dismissed juror said.

Deliberations halted early at 2:30 p.m. so Weberman could head home for the Jewish Sabbath. The jury will resume deliberations Monday.

jsaul@nypost.com

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Heico increases special dividend

Technology company Heico Corp. said Thursday that it would increase a previously announced special dividend by $1 per share after an enthusiastic reaction from shareholders.

The new special cash dividend will be $2.14, combined with a regular payment of six cents per share. A single $2.20 per share amount will be paid on or before Dec. 31.

Heico moved up the date of the regular dividend, which would have typically been paid in January, and declared the special payment because of tax increases expected in 2013.

The company, which has headquarters in Miami and Hollywood, makes replacement parts for airplanes and components for the space, defense, communications, medical and computer industries.

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A Pearl Harbor veteran remembers the horror

On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Abe Stein, a 21-year-old solider from Wilkes Barre, Penn., was asleep in the U.S. Army’s Schofield Barracks on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

The post was established in 1908 as home to the 25th Infantry Division, assigned to protect the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor.

But that day, no one could protect the ships docked there or personnel at surrounding installations from the Japanese sneak attack that took at least 2,400 American lives.

Sgt. Stein found himself running toward a base hospital, unsure what had made his bunk shake so hard that it woke him up.

“I was helping a colonel who was cursing: ‘The Japanese just bombed the hell out of us!’’ he recall today, more than seven decades later.

Stein, 92, an Aventura widower and retired hotel manager who dabbles in the travel business, says that the sights and sounds of that horrible day still haunt his memory.

“It’s like yesterday,’’ he says. “It’s not going away for me.’’

That’s both a blessing and curse for Stein: a blessing because he can speak about it as an eyewitness to history, a curse because whenever he hears “Taps,” he thinks about the dead and cries.

It’s thought that about 1,000 World War II veterans die every day, that by next year, only 1.25 million will remain, and that by 2036, all will be gone.

Pearl Harbor survivors like Stein are so rare that he believes himself one of only two left in South Florida. He belongs to the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, which used to meet every five years in Hawaii, but hasn’t since 2006.

“We’re getting about as extinct as the dodo bird,’’ the group’s president told a New York Times reporter at the time. “The way it’s going, our next national convention here we could hold in a phone booth.’’

Stein, who attended a 50th anniversary ceremony at Pearl Harbor, also participated in the Normandy invasion, for which he’ll receive the French Legion of Honor award on Dec. 19 at The Shul of Bal Harbour, where he prays.

Abe Stein had been a high school wrestler before he enlisted in the Army on Nov. 2, 1940, 13 months before the “date which shall live in infamy,’’ as President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into the world war.

The seventh of 10 children, Stein followed a sister to Florida and signed up at a Miami recruiting office. He had his pick of posts and told the recruiter: “Hawaii looks good.’’

Had his family been able to afford it, he’d have become a doctor, Stein said. Instead, he trained in medical supply with the army, arriving at Schofield Barracks in January 1941.

He remembers sunny afternoons playing army/navy baseball during “11 months of peace.’’

The night of Dec. 6, 1941, Stein worked late.

“I was fast asleep when my bed started to shake,’’ he recalls. “Without opening my eyes I said, ‘Don’t bother me; I am off today.’ Then it shook again and I was ready to bop someone when I saw all of the soldiers running to the balcony. The clocked showed 7:55 a.m.’’

He saw fighter planes, which later strafed the barracks, but he didn’t realize they were Japanese.

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Shakira's Boyfriend Shares Ultrasound Photo

He's not even born yet, but Shakira's son already has a good side.

The 35-year-old singer's footballer boyfriend, FC Barcelona's Gerard Pique, posted a picture to his WhoSay account today, introducing his son to the world.

RELATED: Shakira Pregnant with First Child

"His first pic!" Gerard, 25, wrote as a caption to an ultrasound photo of his baby boy.

Shakira confirmed the news of her pregnancy in September via her website, writing, "Gerard I are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby! At this time we have decided to give priority to this unique moment in our lives and postpone all the promotional activities planned over the next few days."

The mom-to-be has since returned to the stage, showing off her baby bump during a concert at Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan in October.

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Jurors convict former NYPD detective in fatal Bronx DWI

Jurors today convicted a former NYPD detective of manslaughter for mowing down a Bronx grandmother three years ago, but let him slide on a more serious charge because they thought evidence he was driving drunk was tainted.

Kevin Spellman, 45, faces 5 to 15 years in prison on the second-degree manslaughter charge, but he’d faced 25 years had he been convicted on the top charge of vehicular homicide charge.

Prosecutors said Spellman, an off-duty officer at the time, was boozed up and driving erratically when he plowed into a pedestrian, Drane Nikac, 70, on Oct. 30, 2009 with a city-owned Chevrolet Impala..

Robert Kalfus

Kevin Spellman.

Spellman was charged with vehicular manslaughter after his blood alcohol level was determined to be .21 — more than twice the legal limit of .08.

But jurors said they were swayed by defense arguments that blood tested after the accident was contaminated.

After the verdict was read in a Bronx court, Spellman’s wife broke down in tears, as did the victim’s family.

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New equity options exchange owned by Miami company starts trading on Friday

MIAX Options Exchange, a new fully electronic, equity options trading exchange, said it will begin trading on Friday.

MIAX Options Exchange is based in Princeton, N.J., but its parent company is Miami International Holdings. While MIAX’s executive offices, technology development center and national operations center are based in Princeton, additional executive offices, and a multi-purpose training, meeting and conference center will be located in Miami, the company said.

MIAX Options Exchange’s trading platform has been developed in-house and designed for the functional and performance demands of derivatives trading, the company said.

INA PAIVA CORDLE

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Fla. university leaders want to avoid tuition hike

TALLAHASSEE --
The presidents of Florida’s state universities have an offer for the Legislature: Give us $118 million and we won’t raise tuition.

“What we’re asking for this year is a significant investment from the state, tied to specific goals to universities,” said University of West Florida President Judy Bense during Wednesday’s news conference. “With an investment provided for our students, we promise not to seek one penny of a tuition increase this year.”

This new funding would be on top of restoring a $300 million cut the Legislature imposed last year, something lawmakers are already building into the budget. The $118 million would be distributed to the 12 state universities according to performance-based goals, the presidents propose.

Gov. Rick Scott, returning from a Colombian trade mission Wednesday, issued a statement praising the universities’ position against tuition increases without mentioning their request for more tax dollars.

“We are pleased to share this important goal with many of Florida’s finest higher education leaders who are committed to holding the line on tuition,” Scott said. “We look forward to working closely with them as we put together a proposed budget and other policies for the upcoming legislative session.”

University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft said the state is moving away from previous efforts to increase Florida tuition so that it is closer to the national average. Scott’s opposition to tuition hikes means that is no longer feasible, she said.

“We’re in a situation where the governor is very opposed to an increase in tuition and we understand,” she said. “And we’re also concerned about the strains” on students.

Sen. Joe Negron, who chairs the Senate’s budget committee, said he supports boosting university funding although it’s too early to say how it will be done or how much.

“I have believed for a long time that the state spends too much money in health and human services and not enough in higher education,” said Negron, R-Stuart. “And I believe that we should budget additional resources for our universities, which I believe don’t get the credit that they deserve for economic development and the well-being of our state.”

House Appropriations Chairman Seth McKeel said the state’s budget is expected to improve but there are pressures and challenges.

“We look forward to working with the presidents on any proposals they have on the floor,” the Lakeland Republican said.

The universities’ offer is separate from another money-related issue likely to be raised by the University of Florida and Florida State University. Both universities again are advocating for “pre-eminence” status that will allow them unlimited ability to increase tuition. Scott vetoed such a bill earlier this year because he’s against tuition hikes.

FSU President Eric Barron said “pre-eminence” is “a different topic that should be addressed differently” than the no-tuition pledge the universities agreed to. UF President Bernie Machen added that the “pre-eminence” proposal is more complex than just the tuition component.

“In fact, the major benefit of that bill for the state was to set up guidelines and benchmarks to identify excellence in our state universities,” Machen said. “We’re in favor of that, the Board of Governors remains in favor of that. The tuition aspect of it was simply one mechanism that could be used to receive new resources.”

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Worn Out? Stars Step Out in Same Style

Kristin Cavallari vs. Dania Ramirez

The Hills star Kristin Cavallari sported this festive red skater dress at the Chinese Laundry launch party for her new shoe collection in NYC Tuesday night, though Dania Ramirez beat her to the punch -- she stepped out in the same memorable dress (which she chose to pair with a black belt) at Variety's Power of Women event back in October. 

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Unidentified skeleton found on Jamaica Bay island

Skeletal remains that appear to belong to a teenage girl were discovered on an uninhabited island in Jamaica Bay, authorities said.

A boater passing the Canarsie Pol, across from Canarsie Pier around 4:45 p.m., Tuesday spotted the bones and notified police, sources said.

Fog, darkness and choppy waters prevented the NYPD Harbor Patrol from investigating the find on the marshland until yesterday, police said.

The Medical Examiner’s Office has not identified the remains but sources said at least one document belonging to a girl who has been missing since last year was found nearby, sources said.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the person suffered any trauma and investigators are still trying to determine a cause of death.

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Innovate MIA puts spotlight on startup community

If you think the next week is all about art, you may be surprised to learn there are also six entrepreneurship events vying for your time.

And that is all by design.

In much the way that Art Basel helped put Miami’s arts community on the international map, organizers of the first Innovate MIA hope their weeklong grouping of events will shine a light on the city’s growing tech startup community and its position as the gateway to Latin America.

Many of the events — ending with Florida International University’s Americas Venture Capital Conference — are after Art Basel. That’s also why the third annual AVCC was moved to Dec. 13-14 from its previous mid-November dates.

“Our message is come for Art Basel, and stay for AVCC,” said Juan Pablo Cappello, a lawyer, entrepreneur and investor who is on the steering committee of the venture capital conference and several other Innovate MIA events. And all week, there will be plenty of opportunities for Miami’s entrepreneurs, creatives and investors to mingle with their counterparts from all over the Americas and beyond.

In addition to the AVCC, there’s Incubate Miami’s DemoDay, where its class of startups present their companies, the martial arts-inspired TekFight and HackDay, which dangles a $50,000 cash prize. Endeavor, the global nonprofit that promotes high-impact entrepreneurship in emerging economies, is bringing its two-day International Selection Panel to Miami, and Wayra, an international accelerator, is holding a one-day event to showcase its promising startups from Latin America and Spain. It’s all part of Innovate MIA week: “I don’t think anything like it has ever been organized here in South Florida,” Cappello said.

The AVCC will be the big draw, with about 300 people expected to attend the two-day event at the JW Marriott Brickell. The conference, themed “Data, Design & Dollars,” will feature thought leaders from all over the world, particularly Latin America, and presentations by 29 selected companies. This year, the format has been overhauled and energized, with lots of short talks and more time for question-and-answer sessions and networking, said Jerry Haar, associate dean of FIU’s College of Business, director of the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center and AVCC co-chair.

The AVCC’s 36 speakers include Martin Varsavsky, Argentine tech entrepreneur, investor and founder of Viatel, Ya.com, Jazztel and FON; Hernan J. Kazah, co-founder and managing partner at Kaszek Ventures and co-founder of Mercadolibre; and Jason L. Baptiste, CEO and co-founder of Onswipe. There’s also Michael Jackson, former COO of Skype and now a venture capitalist; Albert Santalo, founder and CEO of Miami-based CareCloud; and Bedy Yang of 500 Startups.

Chosen from more than 100 applicants, the 29 presenting companies hailing from all over the Americas will be giving either two-minute or five-minute pitches, fielding questions from a panel of judges and competing for prize packages valued at about $50,000. Eight of the startups are from South Florida: itMD, Kairos, Trapezoid Digital Security, Esenem, LiveNinja, OnTrade, Rokk3r Labs and Zavee.

The presenting companies have “proven innovation, proven management teams and the ability to scale well and be a pan-regional player,” said Faquiry Diaz Cala, president of Tres Mares Group and co-chair of AVCC. “The word is out this is a great place to come and pitch to great investors in addition to potentially being one of the prize winners.”

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