By MURRAY WEISS, DOUGLAS MONTERO and LUKAS I. ALPERT
Posted: 4:09 am
October 13, 2008
A man who served time in the brutal rape and torture of a Harlem nun nearly 30 years ago has shockingly forged a new life helping to pick judges and working in an office that solely deals with female defendants - despite being registered as a high-risk sex offender.
Max Lindeman, 50, recently became the senior director of court services for the Center for Community Alternatives - an organization that works to get nonviolent offenders into counseling and drug-treatment programs rather than face imprisonment.
While Lindeman oversees programs for men, women and teens, his desk is in a Manhattan office that serves only women.
This is the same man who pleaded guilty to the 1981 attack on a nun who was beaten and raped inside a Harlem church. Twenty-seven crosses were carved into her flesh with a nail file.
He was released in 1995 after more than 13 years in jail and remains a registered Level 3 sex offender, the highest-risk category.
Lindeman's presence in the office "makes a mockery of a sanctuary for women," said a person familiar with the situation.
His bio on the center's Web site also says he has served on the New York County Democratic Nomination Committee, which selects who runs for state Supreme Court judgeships.
CCA officials argue that his story is one of redemption. And Lindeman says he is simply trying to help others avoid his mistakes.
"I've been out of prison for 14 years - and I haven't hurt anyone," he said.
Since his release, he has earned a master's degree in social work and is working toward a Ph.D.
Months after he got out of jail, he got a job at The Fortune Society in Manhattan, which helps recently released prisoners readjust to society. He worked there for 11 years.
He joined the staff of the CCA as a supervisor several months ago and insists he has little contact with clients and makes sure he is never alone in an office with any female staffer. He also said he is highly aware of the cloud that looms over him.
"I walk around every day with this," he said.
The reserved father of three seems a far cry from the 23-year-old punk who confessed to breaking into Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on East 116th Street on the morning of Oct. 10, 1981, to rob the place.
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