A New Jersey rabbi found guilty of laundering $200,000 from a private school for children with developmental disabilities was sentenced Monday afternoon to two years probation.

Osher Eisemann, 62, founded the Lakewood-based School for Children with Hidden Intelligence during the 1990s, inspired by his own son’s special needs. He was found guilty in February of second degree charges of money laundering and misconduct by a corporate official at the close of a four-week trial.

The second degree charges can carry sentences of five to 10 years in state prison, but Judge Benjamin Bucca found the mitigating factors outweighed the aggravating factors in the sentencing, moving him to hand down the rare sentence of probation, which skirted mandatory minimums.

“At this stage in this man’s life, I cannot imagine that this situation could ever occur again," Bucca said. “The seriousness of the allegations and the harm that occurred is much less than what this court typically sees with other second degree crimes.”

The jury acquitted Eisemann of other charges, including corruption of public resources, theft by unlawful taking and misapplication of entrusted property. The private school’s fundraising foundation, Services for Hidden Intelligence, LLC, was also acquitted of all charges against it, authorities said.

As part of his probation, Eisemann cannot be involved with finances at the school or fundraising, must serve 60 days in the Middlesex County Correctional Facility and pay a fine of $250,000.

Lee Vartan, Eisemann’s attorney, said outside the courthouse he considers the sentence “a partial win and certainly a good outcome.”

He praised Bucca’s decision to say Eisemann should be reinstated at the school, and called that move “unprecedented," but said he may still appeal.

Bucca said the letters sent by Eisemann’s supporters “overwhelmed” him, and that he had not seen such a showing of support in his years sitting as a criminal judge.

He said the rabbi’s “selfless life is very clear. In many respects this is a very, very unfortunate situation.”

Bucca also said he hopes Eisemann can return to the school, despite the second degree conviction, and hopes the state Department of Education will consider making an exception, given Eisemann’s decades-long reputation.

“You belong there,” he said. “You perform a unique skill for that school.”

The School for Children with Hidden Intelligence on Oak Street in Lakewood was founded and ran by Rabbi Osher Eisemann. Here, the school is seen in a July 2017 file photo. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)The School for Children with Hidden Intelligence

Eisemann’s legacy took a hit when he was indicted in 2017 on theft, money laundering, corporate misconduct and misuse of government funds charges. He stepped down from his role at the school in August 2017, though he has maintained his innocence.

The jury found him guilty of using $200,000 in school funds in a money laundering scheme designed to make it appear that he used personal funds to repay debts he owed to the SCHI. The money was returned shortly after it was withdrawn.

The rabbi’s supporters flooded the Middlesex County Superior Court room Monday afternoon, with more than 75 people packing the seats. Others in the halls peeked into the courtroom through small glass windows on the doors. A campaign raising money for his legal defense has garnered nearly $600,000 of a $700,000 goal from nearly 3,500 donors.

Prior to the sentencing, Vartan read a letter — the first character letter he said he’s ever written for a client.

“He regularly canceled meetings with me because he was needed at the school,” he said. “In the two years I have known Osher Eisemann, there has never been one day, not even one conversation, where he put himself before the school or his family.”

Eisemann, along with his wife, cares for his adult son, who needs help completing simple tasks.

“That’s going to have real ramifications not only for his wife and the hardship on his family, but more importantly, on his son," Vartan said.

Emotions ran high during the three-hour proceedings, and many in the crowd were in tears. One man leapt from his seat, interrupting Vartan to say: “My daughter fell from the second floor and he’s the one who saved her.”

Addressing the court, Eisemann thanked his family, as well as members of the school and the Lakewood community. Pending an appeal, he said he did not want to speak about the charges specifically.

But the rabbi maintained optimism about the rest of his life, the same optimism that has carried him through three decades of raising a son with significant disabilities.

“I thank the court for giving me the opportunity to acknowledge, I don’t know why this ordeal has befallen me, but I truly believe it to be a blessing from above," he said. “No matter what happens today … I will continue to be a voice and a resource for those most vulnerable.”

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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