The two lawyers who are accused of using a Molotov Cocktail to firebomb a New York City police car during the George Floyd riots have pleaded guilty to the charges and are facing real jail time.
Their lawyers were last trying to work out a plea back in July, but talks broke down.
David Thomas reports at Reuters:
New York lawyers plead guilty in Molotov cocktail caseTwo New York lawyers pleaded guilty on Wednesday for their roles in a Molotov cocktail attack during May 2020 protests sparked by George Floyd’s death.Prosecutors said one of the lawyers, Urooj Rahman, threw a gasoline-filled bottle into an empty police vehicle, attempted to distribute Molotov cocktails to others, and then fled in a minivan driven by Colinford Mattis.The incident came during Brooklyn protests after Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, sparking widespread protests against racism and police violence.Rahman, 32, and Mattis, 34, each pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to a single count of possessing or making a destructive device…U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan set their sentencing for Feb. 8. They face up to 10 years in prison under a terrorism-related sentencing provision.
Jen Chung of Gothamist has more and notes that they will be disbarred:
Mattis, who grew up in East New York and attended Princeton and NYU Law School, had worked at law firm Pryor Cashman’s corporate practice but was furloughed during the pandemic. He reportedly had been caring for three young foster children his mother had been taking care of until her death in 2019.When he pleaded guilty, Mattis said, “I deeply regret my conduct and wish I had made better choices on that night.”Rahman, a Pakistani immigrant who grew up in Bay Ridge before attending Fordham University and Fordham Law School, had been working at Bronx Legal Services. During her plea, Rahman told U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan that her actions “occurred on a night of civil protest in Brooklyn following the murder of George Floyd. I deeply regret my actions.”The guilty pleas also mean they will be disbarred.
Their text messages from that night are pretty damning. From the New York Post:
“Go burn down 1PP,” Colinford Mattis wrote to his accomplice, Urooj Rahman, before their arrest on May 30, 2020, prosecutor Ian Richardson said at the plea hearing Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court.“Bring it to their neck,” Mattis added in the text message and shared a Google Maps location of One Police Plaza with Rahman, Richardson said.In a series of other messages, Rahman allegedly boasted to Mattis about the destruction she was causing that night as protests raged in Brooklyn and across the city.“Set a police car on fire,” she said in one.
These people have destroyed their lives. You have to wonder if they think it was worth it.
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