At his sentence hearing on Tuesday, one of the attackers found guilty of beating a Jewish man in Times Square in 2021 raised a disturbance in a Manhattan courthouse by yelling “Free Palestine” and his boisterous supporters accused the judge of being racist.
After Mahmoud Musa, 23, was sentenced to seven years in jail for beating a Jewish man named Joseph Borgen after a confrontation between Israeli and Palestinian supporters on May 20, 2021 in Midtown, tensions in Manhattan Supreme Court erupted.
Musa turned to face his family and tell them he loved them as he was being led in shackles back to a holding cell. He then twice yelled, “Free Palestine,” which started a full-fledged shouting match in Judge Felicia Mennin’s courtroom.
“You’re racist to judge!” one person shouted at Mennin from the back row.
Borgen, 31, and his more than fifty supporters—many of whom were sporting blue “Justice For Joey” hats—stayed behind for twenty minutes until the other group had left, forcing court personnel to forcibly take Musa’s legal representatives out of the courtroom.
In his impassioned victim impact statement, Borgen described the day he was attacked and how he saw Musa pursuing him with his “fist cocked back,” “aimed and taking target at me,” during the court.
A group of males pepper-sprayed Borgen, who was wearing a yarmulke, while they beat him and yelled antisemitic remarks at him. The attack was caught on camera and went viral.
He claimed that the incident left him with persistent wrist discomfort and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“[Musa] took it by any means necessary that day.” Borgen stated, “He wanted to kill me and put me out.
“I believe that I would have died if the police had not arrived and saved my life, and that was his and that group’s intention.”
Last month, Musa and Mohammed Othman, another defendant, entered guilty pleas to counts of second-degree assault as a hate crime for their respective roles in the incident.
At their individual sentencing hearings, the two men faced sentences ranging from 3 1/2 to 15 years in prison, according to the prosecution.
In addition to asking the court to sentence Musa to 6 1/2 years in prison for the attack, Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Junig also brought up the fact that Musa was arrested once again while being detained at Rikers Island for allegedly grabbing a correctional officer’s breast.
Attorney Lance Lazzaro, representing Musa’s defense, contended that his client was indoctrinated after growing up in a Palestinian home where they were “told things that influence their minds,” leading them to “form opinions of other groups that influence their actions.”
Additionally, Lazzaro launched criticism at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, claiming that he was seizing an opportunity when he “all of a sudden” chose to pursue jail terms rather than probation agreements in the case.
“I see people in New York City carrying guns, and they don’t receive sentences of six and a half years.” Lazzaro yelled, “They don’t get five years for a first felony.”
However, Junig claimed that after prosecutors were able to examine text messages demonstrating the “egregious” attack was organized, the jail sentences were proposed.
The prosecutor stated, “It became abundantly clear that the defendants went to Times Square on that date to attack Jewish people.”
Musa bemoaned the fact that other defendants in the case had gotten off easy, claiming that his sole purpose in going to Times Square was to “emotionally support Palestine and spread awareness.”
Musa responded, “No, it wasn’t a hate crime.” There was just too much going on. Though I didn’t mean it that way, the way this happened was a hate crime.
Othman and another attacker, Mohammed Said Othman, who entered a plea deal for attempted gang assault and is anticipated to serve three years in prison, are scheduled to be sentenced on December 12.
A judge last month sentenced Faisal Elezzi, another defendant, to 60 days in prison after he was arrested for selling marijuana illegally, despite the fact that he had been promised three years of probation in exchange for admitting guilt to third-degree assault as a hate crime.
Waseem Awawdeh, who admitted to second-degree attempted assault as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon in June, was given an 18-month sentence. Prosecutors claim that Awawdeh threatened to “do it again” while in a jail cell.
Although Borgen had previously chastised prosecutors for offering Awawdeh a plea deal that spared him 18 months of jail time, he expressed on Tuesday that he was eager to move on.
Borgen expressed his relief that the case was concluded outside of court. “I believe it sends a clear message that there are consequences for your actions and that hate crimes against people of Jewish descent, or any other ethnicity, will not be taken lightly in New York City.”
Musa “was held accountable for his role in repeatedly assaulting a Jewish man and will serve seven years in prison,” according to a statement released by Bragg.
The district attorney stated, “Mr. Borgen continues to suffer from significant trauma and pain from this incident.” “I hope he continues to heal and recover. Nobody should have to go through the kind of vicious, hate-driven attack he endured.”
{Matzav.com}
Maybe this will teach the Pally rioters that they are in a country with rules. They tries to kill that guy. The sentence is not too strict.