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Law360, New York (June 24, 2020, 2:43 PM EDT ) A suspended Pryor Cashman attorney pled not guilty Wednesday to a seven-count indictment for allegedly torching a vacant, vandalized NYPD car during protests against police brutality, as a chorus of participants spoke out on the conference call to express support.
Colinford Mattis, an associate at Pryor Cashman LLP who is suspended pending the outcome of the case, appeared remotely from Brooklyn federal jail as his counsel informed Chief Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak that the alleged Molotov cocktail maker would plead not guilty to the entire indictment — a brief legal proceeding bookended by cries of support for Mattis on the line where more than 300 were listening in.
After an officer at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center connected Mattis and his attorney, listeners called out.
A feminine voice cried: "Love you, Colin!"
A deep voice boomed: "Thanks for what you're doing, Colin. We're here for you, bro."
Another added: "Colin, mate, we're all here for you. The whole squad's here."
After the court reporter pled for speakers to announce themselves and Mattis' defense counsel Sabrina Shroff said that there would be no interruption of the proceedings — and there weren't — the judge joined.
"Mr. Mattis, you are here because the grand jury has returned an indictment charging you with seven counts. The first count charges you with damaging a New York City police vehicle," Judge Pollak said, ticking off the seven counts.
If convicted on all charges in the indictment — use of explosives, arson, use of explosives to commit a felony, arson conspiracy, use of a destructive device, civil disorder and making or possessing a destructive device — the 32-year-old faces a mandatory minimum of 45 years in prison with the possibility of a life sentence alongside his friend and fellow attorney Urooj Rahman, a tenant lawyer at Bronx Legal Services.
Mattis is accused of aiding Rahman by driving a tan minivan that prosecutors claim contained firebomb-making ingredients — beer bottles, gasoline and tissues. Rahman is alleged to have been the one who actually tossed the Molotov cocktail through an already broken window, setting fire to the console of an empty NYPD car.
The two also supposedly offered a Molotov cocktail to at least one person on the street, the government claims, pointing to a witness's photograph embedded in court records. Police arrested the attorneys shortly after the alleged attack. They were transferred into federal custody within hours.
"Mr. Mattis waives the public reading of the indictment and will enter a plea of not guilty," Shroff said, later clarifying that the attorney understands the charges and is pleading not guilty to all of them, "the entire indictment." Shroff has moved to dismiss the indictment, as federal defenders have in a host of other cases, saying the grand jury is tainted by improper demographics due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Mattis is currently jailed pending the outcome of a bail appeal to the Second Circuit after a ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven M. Gold, upheld by U.S. District Judge Margo K. Brodie, had granted home confinement with electronic monitoring on $250,000 in surety bonds secured by seven family and friends. Mattis was rearrested when the government won a stay from the appellate court.
During arguments Tuesday, two Second Circuit judges voiced bewilderment and concern at the firebombing allegedly committed by the two attorneys, with one calling it "unimaginable," as they mulled the government's unusually escalated request to overrule the two lower court judges' bail decision. The panel reserved decision.
Rahman's arraignment is set for Monday.
The alleged crimes and Wednesday's arraignment took place on the backdrop of widespread protests against the police killings of Black Americans and court restrictions caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which created the unique conditions for the chorus of dozens of supporters to call out to their friend at the close of the six-minute proceeding.
Ordinarily, about 50 spectators can view an arraignment at the federal Brooklyn courthouse, but "over 307 participants were on the line for this morning's arraignment," according to an official in the district executive's office.
As soon as the judge set a July 15 court date and adjourned, Mattis' supporters called out first in turn and then in a crush of voices.
"Good luck!" many said. "We love you!" others added, tagging their well-wishes as from upstate New York, Mississippi, and Princeton, where Mattis attended university.
As nonstop beeps signaled the exit of droves of participants on the call, others took the opportunity to air grievances.
"You're accused of property damage and they want to give you life. How ridiculous," a voice said.
"This is true systemic racism. They want to give you all this time and not let you out. And look at the people who committed the murder," one woman later said, in an apparent reference to the police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis who were granted bail.
"Exactly!" another woman said.
Eventually the line went quiet.
The government is represented by David James, David Kessler, Jonathan Algor, Ian Richardson and Kevin Trowel of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Mattis is represented by Sabrina P. Shroff.
Rahman is represented by Paul Shechtman of Bracewell LLP.
The case is U.S. v. Mattis et al., case number 1:20-cr-00203, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
--Editing by Orlando Lorenzo.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.
