Hasidic Jewish students charged in NYC synagogue tunnel digging scoff at plea offer: Rather go to prison
The Hasidic Jewish students who dug a secret tunnel under a Brooklyn synagogue said they’d rather go to prison than face a ban from the historic temple — as they rebuffed plea deals from prosecutors Thursday.Nearly all of the 13 young men charged over the infamous hideout — which went viral when it was discovered in January — scoffed at the offer from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office that would see them barred from the historic Crown Heights temple for three years.“Being banned from 770 [Eastern Parkway] for three years is worse than jail,” one of the defendants, Yaakov Rothchild, told The Post in Hebrew through a translator, referring to the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.Rothchild could face up to seven years behind bars on felony charges of second-degree criminal mischief if he takes his chances at trial.He and 12 of his co-defendants — who face obstruction of justice charges — could be headed to trial in January if they fail to come to an agreement with prosecutors.Rothchild’s attorney, Jonathan Fink, called the suggestion of a Jan.13, 2025 trial “silly,” noting the magnitude of the cases, which charges the renegades — including rabbinical students — of hiding inside a hole in a wall they’d damaged and refusing to get out despite police orders, according to court documents.Fink also shot down the deal on the table, saying it had “no chance” of being accepted, during a hearing in Brooklyn Supreme Court Thursday.The agreement would have most defendants pleading down to fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, in exchange for no jail time.
They would instead face a three year ban from the house of worship and either 20 days of community service or $5,000 in restitution.Assistant District Attorney Frank Longobardi argued the ban was necessary, noting the defendants were caught posing with a sign that said “Expand 770” — a reference to the tunnel-digging at the synagogue — at their arraignments ...