We have been informed that the sentencing of Faisal Alezzi has been administratively adjourned to Thursday, Sept. 27. On May 24, 2021, Alezzi was the second of the attackers to be arrested and was charged with three hate crimes: assault as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime, and harassment as a hate crime (New York Post, 5/24/21).
It is our fervent hope that Judge Mennen rejects the plea deal of three years’ probation and anti-bias training that was offered by D.A. Bragg’s office just as she rejected the six-month plea deal that was offered to Waseem Awawdeh. It is inconceivable that Alezzi’s hate-crimes will go unpunished.
Sept. 27 is also the scheduled date for the trial of the remaining three defendants Mahmoud Musa, Mohammed Said Othman, and Mohammed Othman.
When asked about the importance of attending the hearings for the attackers who almost killed Joseph Borgen in their vicious, merciless, anti-Semitic assault, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said: “Joey Borgen was not some kid on a street corner. He was attacked because he was Jewish. If you don’t show, that does have an effect on the larger
community. It has an effect on people watching. You need to show that there is pain that goes a lot further than the victim. It goes right through a community. I don’t think anyone understands that more than the Jewish Community.”
We need to be in court on Sept. 27th for Alezzi’s sentencing and we need to be in court on the day that Joey Borgen has to testify (we should know that date after jury selection). He should see the courtroom filled with supporters on that most difficult day. We will send information regarding the location of the sentencing and trial as soon as it is confirmed.
In the meantime, it’s important to contact D.A. Alvin Bragg and Governor Kathy Hochul and express your outrage about the inexplicable plea deal offered to Faisal Alezzi.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 212-335-9000.
Governor Kathy Hochul can be reached at 518-474-8390 or FAX: 518-474-1513.
A message can be sent to Governor Hochul online at:
www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form or https://portal.311.nyc.gov
Silence is not an option and doing nothing is not an option,
Lynne and Nessim Tammam
New York
