( CNN ) Three Orthodox rabbis accused of planning and participating in the torture of Jewish men who refused to divorce their wives were convicted Tuesday of conspiring to commit kidnapping . Rabbis Mendel Epstein , 69 ; Jay Goldstein , 60 ; and Binyamin Stimler , 39 , were found guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping in New Jersey federal court . Goldstein and Stimler were also convicted on charges of attempted kidnapping . The rabbis were part of a ring accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars to orchestrate the kidnappings of Jewish husbands to persuade them through torture involving electric cattle prods and screwdrivers to grant `` gets , '' a document that Jewish law requires a husband to present to his wife in order to be issued a divorce , court papers said . The men were arrested in October 2013 following an FBI sting operation that ended with Goldstein , Stimler and six other men with ski masks , surgical blades and a 30-foot nylon rope in a warehouse in Middlesex County , New Jersey . Lawyers for each of the rabbis told CNN they plan on appealing the convictions . `` Rabbi Epstein still firmly believes that he was protecting women 's rights and was protecting the agunahs and the families , '' said Robert Stahl , the lawyer for Epstein . Without a `` get , '' a woman is considered an `` agunah , '' a chained woman bound to a man no matter how over the marriage might actually be . An Orthodox Jewish woman who does not receive a get runs the risk of being shunned in her community and labeled an adulteress if she moves on . Any future children she has are considered bastards permitted to marry only other bastards . `` I do n't think this was a traditional kidnapping , '' said Aidan O'Connor , the lawyer for Goldstein . Goldstein is a sofer , a Jewish scribe who transcribes the Torah and writes other religious documents , including divorce papers , his attorney said . Nathan Lewin , the attorney for Stimler , called the verdict `` shocking '' and said his client was only present at the warehouse as a witness for the ceremonial signing of the document . `` There 's no evidence that Rabbi Stimler knew what was going to be going on , '' Lewin said . `` Of course we 're going to take all the steps to correct this injustice . '' Epstein 's son , David Epstein , was acquitted on Tuesday of kidnapping charges . The jury returned not guilty verdicts on the attempted kidnapping charges against Mendel Epstein , and on more severe kidnapping charges against the three rabbis . Nine other individuals previously pled guilty in the case to conspiracy charges , according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney 's office in New Jersey . Henry Mazurek , the lawyer for David Epstein , said his client was grateful for the jury 's decision but called his client 's acquittals `` bittersweet '' next to his father 's conviction . `` He really believes that ( his father ) was a champion of someone who was voiceless in his religion , '' Mazurek said . Sentencing is set for July 15 . The men face up to life in prison .
Three rabbis found guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping in New Jersey federal court . They were accused of orchestrating kidnapping , torture of Jewish men who refused to allow their wives a religious divorce . Score: 6