Overview
- Larry Montes, who authorities say disrupted a Friday night Shabbat service on Aug. 14, is accused of damaging two ceremonial candlesticks and punching a 63‑year‑old congregant.
- Prosecutors say Montes spat on and headbutted a Black security guard and used antisemitic and racial slurs during the Aug. 14 incident.
- The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York has charged Montes with two federal hate‑crime counts and one count of destruction of religious property, each count carrying statutory maximum penalties.
- Federal filings cite a recorded Mirandized post‑arrest interview, synagogue livestream footage and witness accounts as key evidence, and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force and the FBI are coordinating the probe.
- Montes remains in state custody after a state arraignment where bail was set and is expected to be transported to federal court for prosecution at a later date.