Lawyers who torched NYPD vehicle during summer of 2020 plead guilty to conspiracy charges

In June 2020 during George Floyd protests in Brooklyn, two New York lawyers were captured on security footage firebombing an unoccupied NYPD cruiser and handing out Molotov cocktails to people in the neighborhood.

On Thursday, the pair pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges after negotiating with prosecutors, who had originally sought a more serious charge under a "terrorism enhancement" that could have landed them in jail for a decade.

According to Reuters, now former lawyers Urooj Rahman and Colinford Mattis plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit arson and possession of an explosive device.

Prosecutors recommended eighteen to twenty-four-month sentences for both, citing the "nature and circumstances of the offense and the histories and personal characteristics of these defendants."

The pair also agreed to pay $30,137 each in "restitution" to the city.

Rahman is scheduled to be sentenced on September 29, and Mattis on October 5.

In May 2020, George Floyd was killed after former officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly ten minutes. The murder sparked a wave of mass protests across the country.

Rahman and Mattis took part in protests in Brooklyn in early June, during which they committed their crimes. It was revealed via security footage that Rahman threw a gasoline-filled bottle into an empty police cruiser and attempted to distribute Molotov cocktails to others in the crowd. She then fled the scene in a minivan driven by Mattis.

The pair later said they deeply regretted their actions. Nonetheless, as a result of what they did both lawyers are expected to lose their licenses to practice as a result of their charges.