Brooklyn Attorneys Plead Guilty In NYPD Firebombing Case

New York City NY

20 October, 2021

9:49 AM

Description

NEW YORK CITY — Two attorneys accused of tossing a Molotov cocktail at an empty NYPD car pleaded guilty to possession of a destructive device. Urook Rahman, 32, and Colinford Mattis, 34, entered their pleas in Brooklyn Federal Court Wednesday morning. "I plead guilty, your honor," Mattis said. "I wish I'd made better choices on that night. "I knowingly possessed ... a molotov cocktail," said Rahman. "I deeply regret my actions." Judge Brian Cogan did not issue a sentence but said the attorneys could face up to 10 years in prison should he accept prosecutors' request he implement a terrorism enhancement. Mattis, a corporate attorney from Brooklyn, said in a subdued voice that he was receiving treatment for alcohol abuse, depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder but said his mind was clear and ready to plead. Rahman, a human rights lawyer, told the court she was being treated with Bupropion, an antidepressant, for depression, anxiety and mood affectation. Sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. The charges initially levied against Rahman and Mattis — which came with a 45-year mandatory minimum sentence — spurred outrage from activists and attorneys who called prosecutors' decision to pursue a federal case "Draconian." "A case involving this kind of property damage would typically be pursued by a local district attorney," wrote law professor Rachel Barkow in a Daily News op-ed Tuesday. "First-time offenders like Mattis and Rahman would likely receive little if no jail time for their offense." Rahman and Mattis were arrested during a George Floyd solidarity protest on May 30, 2020, near the 88th Precinct in the Fort Greene, court records show. Police allegedly found a beer bottle stuffed with toilet paper, a lighter and a gasoline tank in the back of their van.