Crime & Safety
Molotov Cocktail Lawyers Plead Guilty Again; Shorter Sentences Likely
The new guilty plea is part of a deal to get shorter sentences, avoiding federal prosecutors' efforts to treat the lawyers as terrorists.
BROOKLYN, NY — Two lawyers accused of tossing a Molotov cocktail into an empty NYPD car during a George Floyd protest pleaded guilty to new charges this week as part of a deal that could drastically shorten their prison sentences, court documents show.
Last October, Urooj Rahman, 33, and Colinford Mattis, 34, expressed regret and pleaded guilty to possessing a destructive device in connection to the firebombing case, but fought federal prosecutors' efforts to treat them as terrorists and bring their potential sentence up to 10 years (a move repeatedly questioned for being overly harsh).
Under a plea deal filed last month, though, Rahman and Mattis agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge, for which prosecutors recommended pursing a two year sentence at most.
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Both pleaded guilty to the new charges this week, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Rahman, a corporate attorney, and Mattis, a human rights lawyer, were arrested during a George Floyd solidarity protest on May 30, 2020 near the 88th Precinct in Fort Greene, court records show.
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As the protest devolved into chaos, Rahman — who was riding in Mattis' minivan at the time — exited the van and threw a Molotov cocktail through the broken window of an empty police car, charring the dashboard, prosecutors said.
Mattis drove the two away, according to court documents. No one was injured, records show.
Police allegedly found a beer bottle stuffed with toilet paper, a lighter and a gasoline tank in the back of their van.
When the new plea deal was first announced, Paul Schectman, an attorney for Rahman, told the New York Post that he was pleased with the agreement.
"We're deeply pleased that the Eastern District has taken a second look, a close second look at the case and modified its position," he told The Post at the time. "We still hope to persuade the judge that further incarceration is not necessary."
Rahman's sentencing is scheduled for Sep. 29, and Mattis' sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 5, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
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