Plea Hearing In NYPD Firebombing Case Abruptly Pushed Back

NEW YORK CITY — Two attorneys accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at an NYPD vehicle during a George Floyd protest were scheduled to enter guilty pleas Thursday, but their court date was unexpectedly canceled to allow more time for negotiations, court records show.

Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman’s court date was rescheduled for Oct. 20 just hours before the pair were expected to plead guilty to possession of a destructive device in Brooklyn Federal Court, according to court filings and reports.

Judge Brian Cogan moved the hearing to allow for “continued plea negotiations,” according to a rescheduling order.

News of the rescheduling came as a surprise to activists who planned to pack the courtroom Thursday afternoon.

ACTION: 10/7 Pack the court in Brooklyn at 3:15pm to support Colin & Urooj!

Their arrests, bumped up charges & offered plea deals are emblematic of how law enforcement—police, prosecutors, judges—wield power to threaten, retaliate & punish.

More info: https://t.co/gwTUorlTIA pic.twitter.com/btLo5FEyS5
— CourtWatchNYC (@CourtWatchNYC) October 7, 2021

The two attorneys were arrested in June 2020 after police uncovered surveillance footage that allegedly showed Rahman throwing a Molotov cocktail at an empty NYPD car then fleeing in a minivan driven by Mattis, court records show.

NYPD officers who arrested the attorneys said they found a beer bottle stuffed with toilet paper, a lighter and a gasoline tank in the back of the van.

The pair were charged with seven counts that included arson conspiracy and use of an explosive and could have faced life sentences if found guilty, prosecutors said.

Mattis and Rahman are not expected to be sentenced the maximum ten years, but social justice activists contend the case should have been dismissed and former prosecutors called the initial charges levied against them “Draconian.”

Mattis is a corporate attorney and Rahman a human rights lawyer. Both are from Brooklyn.