According to court documents, Barry Starr spent up to $480,000 to pay off a Milton man, who threatened to expose the rabbi’s alleged sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy and claimed to be the boy’s brother, The Boston Globe reports.

Starr, who developed a national reputation as a leader in Conservative Judaism in his 28 years as rabbi of Temple Israel of Sharon, allegedly transferred money from the rabbi's discretionary fund to the alleged extortionist. That man -- identified in court documents as Nicholas Zemeitus, 29, of Milton -- told authorities the rabbi suggested altering checks written by elderly congregants to increase their value, according to documents that police filed in court while seeking search warrants.

Starr also asked congregants for money and received tens of thousands of dollars, according to the court documents.

The homes of Starr and Zemeitus were searched, but it is unclear from the documents the extent of the charges either may face.

Read the full story here.