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Guilty pleas: Attackers of Jewish man in New York face years behind bars

Mahmoud Musa, Mohammed Othman and Mohammed Said Othman will be sentenced later this month for their assault on Joseph Borgen in May 2021.

Joseph Borgen
The antisemitic assault on Joseph Borgen in New York City on May 21, 2021. Source: Screenshot.

On Wednesday in New York City, Mahmoud Musa and Mohammed Othman pleaded guilty to second-degree assault as a hate crime for their role in attacking Joseph Borgen on May 20, 2021. Neither received an offer from prosecutors regarding potential sentencing, so they each could face as few as three and a half years in prison or as much as 15.

Mohammed Said Othman received a lesser charge of attempted gang assault and an agreement of three years in prison.

A fourth assailant, Waseem Awawdeh, pleaded guilty in April to hitting Borgen four times with a crutch. He said, “If I could do it again, I would.”

He received an 18-month sentence, up from six after a public outcry.

“If you beat up a Jew in the streets, this is what’s going to happen. … You’re not going to get a slap on the wrist or a BS deal. You’re going to spend real time in jail,” said Borgen at the time.

“Four will be released immediately, and four will be sentenced to one month in prison,” the U.S. president stated.
A university spokesman told JNS that “the condemnation of such a peaceful event to share a story of resilience in the face of extreme suffering is antithetical to the values of our Bruin community.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated that police are working not only to hold the people involved accountable but also “ensure that this isn’t something that is becoming normal in our city.”
“Judea and Samaria are central to Jewish history and faith,” stated David Livingston, a Republican state representative. “This resolution affirms what is true and rejects language created to deny it.”
The police said it was eager to track down a group of young men in the area at the time.
“If these allegations are true, the SPLC is likely to be the largest single funder of white nationalist extremism in the United States,” stated Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.