World

New York lawyers to plead guilty in Molotov cocktail case; shorter sentences likely

2022.06.02 20:35

New York lawyers to plead guilty in Molotov cocktail case; shorter sentences likely
FILE PHOTO: Attorneys Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman are pictured in photos taken by U.S. authorities following their arrests in New York on May 30, 2020. U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York/Handout via Reuters/File Photo

By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Two New York lawyers charged with throwing a Molotov cocktail at an empty city police car during protests over George Floyd’s death are expected to plead guilty to new charges on Thursday, part of a deal in which prosecutors will recommend shorter sentences.

Urooj Rahman and Colinford Mattis had pleaded guilty last October to possessing a destructive device and expressed regret, but fought federal prosecutors’ effort to brand them as terrorists, more than doubling their potential sentences to 10 years.

Under revised agreements, the defendants were to be charged with conspiracy to use explosives and possess an explosive device, with prosecutors recommending sentences of 18 to 24 months. The charge carries a maximum five-year term.

During May 2020 protests in Brooklyn after a white Minneapolis policeman murdered Floyd, who was Black, Rahman threw a gasoline-filled bottle through the police car’s already-broken window and fled in a minivan driven by Mattis, according to prosecutors.

They originally faced up to 45 years in prison under President Donald Trump’s administration, which emphasized tough-on-crime policies.

Prosecutors offered plea deals after Trump’s successor Joe Biden pledged to reform the criminal justice system and address systemic racism.

In a court filing last month, prosecutors said 18- to 24-month terms reflected the “nature and circumstances of the offense and the histories and personal characteristics of these defendants.”

Rahman represented tenants in the Bronx as a public interest lawyer. Mattis worked as an associate at law firm Pryor Cashman, but was furloughed in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm suspended him after his arrest. She and he have acknowledged they will likely be disbarred.

They were expected to enter pleas to the new charges before U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn at 2:45 p.m. EDT (1845 GMT).

Source

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button
bitcoin
Bitcoin (BTC) $ 98,358.35 0.17%
ethereum
Ethereum (ETH) $ 3,419.44 0.99%
tether
Tether (USDT) $ 1.00 0.06%
solana
Solana (SOL) $ 255.81 1.25%
bnb
BNB (BNB) $ 682.91 1.46%
xrp
XRP (XRP) $ 1.45 6.95%
dogecoin
Dogecoin (DOGE) $ 0.434184 5.08%
usd-coin
USDC (USDC) $ 0.999712 0.03%
cardano
Cardano (ADA) $ 1.07 2.96%
staked-ether
Lido Staked Ether (STETH) $ 3,415.93 1.05%
tron
TRON (TRX) $ 0.216841 3.28%
stellar
Stellar (XLM) $ 0.57976 32.58%
avalanche-2
Avalanche (AVAX) $ 42.01 1.78%
the-open-network
Toncoin (TON) $ 6.39 13.27%
shiba-inu
Shiba Inu (SHIB) $ 0.000027 0.01%
wrapped-steth
Wrapped stETH (WSTETH) $ 4,051.00 1.37%
wrapped-bitcoin
Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) $ 97,899.23 0.43%
polkadot
Polkadot (DOT) $ 9.06 17.81%
chainlink
Chainlink (LINK) $ 17.68 3.45%
bitcoin-cash
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) $ 511.38 3.65%
weth
WETH (WETH) $ 3,418.85 0.45%
sui
Sui (SUI) $ 3.45 4.37%
pepe
Pepe (PEPE) $ 0.000021 4.18%
near
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) $ 6.61 4.33%
leo-token
LEO Token (LEO) $ 8.68 1.08%
litecoin
Litecoin (LTC) $ 101.19 0.53%
aptos
Aptos (APT) $ 12.86 0.67%
uniswap
Uniswap (UNI) $ 11.16 5.13%
wrapped-eeth
Wrapped eETH (WEETH) $ 3,602.79 1.15%
hedera-hashgraph
Hedera (HBAR) $ 0.15123 1.36%
internet-computer
Internet Computer (ICP) $ 11.62 3.73%
crypto-com-chain
Cronos (CRO) $ 0.196582 2.97%
usds
USDS (USDS) $ 1.00 0.11%
polygon-ecosystem-token
POL (ex-MATIC) (POL) $ 0.577148 5.68%
ethereum-classic
Ethereum Classic (ETC) $ 29.90 0.22%
render-token
Render (RENDER) $ 8.08 1.44%
fetch-ai
Artificial Superintelligence Alliance (FET) $ 1.56 15.47%
bittensor
Bittensor (TAO) $ 538.05 1.33%
kaspa
Kaspa (KAS) $ 0.15409 4.54%
ethena-usde
Ethena USDe (USDE) $ 1.00 0.02%
arbitrum
Arbitrum (ARB) $ 0.880108 4.13%
vechain
VeChain (VET) $ 0.043829 3.83%
whitebit
WhiteBIT Coin (WBT) $ 24.74 0.62%
cosmos
Cosmos Hub (ATOM) $ 9.09 14.45%
bonk
Bonk (BONK) $ 0.000047 6.28%
filecoin
Filecoin (FIL) $ 5.82 13.71%
dai
Dai (DAI) $ 0.999818 0.04%
mantra-dao
MANTRA (OM) $ 3.80 0.24%
okb
OKB (OKB) $ 55.96 9.67%
dogwifcoin
dogwifhat (WIF) $ 3.26 3.66%