NEW YORK (JTA) – The former New York police officer charged with spray-painting anti-Jewish obscenities in Brooklyn said he did it because of “cheap” Jews.
Michael Setiawan, who was arraigned last Friday on a 39-count indictment, made the assertion in court papers, according to the New York Daily News.
“When I was a deliveryman, they never gave me anything,” he said.
The graffiti appeared on cars, storefronts and a school in the Hasidic enclave of Borough Park on May 3.
Setiawan, 36, retired in 2007 after two years as a cop, according to the papers. He was arraigned via video hookup from the psych ward at Bellevue Hospital, the Daily News reported.
As the Year Turns, Support the Journalism You Trust. JTA covers the stories shaping Jewish life around the world — with the depth this moment calls for. As you reflect on the year ahead, consider a gift that keeps independent Jewish journalism strong.
