Waseem Awawdeh Wiki, Biography
Waseem Awawdeh, the suspect accused of the brutal anti-Semitic attack on a Jewish man in New York in 2021, has been offered a plea deal with a reduced sentence of six months. A sweet plea deal is a deal offered by the prosecutor to the defendant where the defendant agrees to provide vital information in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has offered a plea deal to Waseem Awawdeh, 21, who was arrested in an unprovoked attack on a Jewish man named Joseph Borgen near a pro-Israel rally in May 2021.
Awawdeh was reportedly part of a gang that brutally attacked Borgen, an Upper East Side accountant, who was wearing a kippah as he walked to a pro-Israel rally near Broadway and West 49th Street. The gang reportedly pepper sprayed and beat Borgen while hurling racial slurs at him.
The anti-Semitic attack, which reportedly carried a sentence of several years, was reduced to months after the Manhattan district attorney offered the suspect a plea deal, stating that the defendant had no prior convictions.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Defends Pleat Deal Offered to Waseem Awawdeh
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg defended his office after they offered a plea deal to anti-Semitic shooter Waseem Awawdeh. Braggs said that Awawdeh, although he was present during the crime, did not initiate the attack. The Manhattan district attorney stated that the suspect was only charged with striking the victim with his crutch and was not found guilty of pepper spraying or hitting Borgen to the ground.
Awawdeh was charged with a hate crime along with Mahmoud Musa, Faisal Elezzi and Mohammed Othman, for attacking the Jewish accountant as he was on his way to the pro-Israel rally on May 20, 2021.
At his arraignment, prosecutors said, Awawdeh told jailers that, given the chance, he would do it again.
“If he could do it again, he would do it again. I have no problem doing it again.”
Awawdeh was granted bail at arraignment after the judge determined that he did not pose a flight risk.
Waseem Awawdeh’s lawyer, Peter Marc Frankel, confirmed the offer according to the prosecution, adding that his client, who is currently out on bail, is considering the terms offered by the prosecutor’s office.
In a statement to the New York Post, Frankel said:
“The six-month plea deal has been offered at this time. [My] client has not made any decision on what to do. We have been in contact with the prosecutor for over a year about this case.” Other men arrested in connection with the attack have not been offered any plea deals. They have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.