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Son Of Brooklyn Judge Who "Dressed As A Caveman" Pleads Guilty To Capitol Riot Charge
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 2, 2022
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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/Shutterstock
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 2, 2022
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Aaron Mostofsky, the son of a Brooklyn judge who stormed the U.S. Capitol while draped in fur pelts and a bullet proof vest, has pleaded guilty to three charges, including a felony, for his role in the January 6th insurrection.
He faces between 12 and 18 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, according to a plea deal reached on Wednesday.
Mostofsky, a 35-year-old Midwood resident, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of civil disorder, along with theft of government property and entering and remaining in a restricted building, both misdemeanors.
As part of the deal, prosecutors reduced his previous charge of felony theft of government property, which carried up to a decade in prison. He has also agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution.
According to his guilty plea, Mostofsky was “dressed as a caveman and carrying a walking stick” as he joined a group of rioters pushing against police officers outside the U.S. Capitol building.
After breaching the building, he picked up a riot shield and bullet proof vest belonging to a Capitol police officer, which he donned before entering the broken windows of the Senate Wing. He left soon after, though not before identifying himself to a reporter as “Aaron from Brooklyn” and alleging the election was stolen.
In the year since his arrest, Mostofsky’s team of attorneys have accused prosecutors of overreacting to “flashy photos of fur-pelted protesters,” while arguing their client was engaged in protected political expression.
“He was not part of the mob and he was not rampaging,” his attorney, Jeff Schwartz, argued during a previous court hearing. “He understands the whole thing in Washington got totally out of hand.”
Mostofsky is the son of Shlomo Mostofsky, a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge and a prominent modern Orthodox figure in the borough.
Aaron Mostofsky’s older brother, Nachman Mostofsky, is an elected district leader in Brooklyn. Nachman Mostofsky initially told WNYC/Gothamist that his brother was “pushed” into the Capitol building.
A "statement of offense," a document accompanying the younger Mostofsky's plea, acknowledged that was not the case.
“He joined a group of rioters who were resisting the police, intentionally lending his weight and strength to the effort to break through the police line,” the court document reads. “He was not forced into the line by other rioters, and his conduct was not involuntary, an accident, or a mistake.”
Inquiries to Mostofsky’s attorney and family members were not immediately returned.
Tagged
capitol riots
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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