By Michele Evans / NYweeklyRecord.com / Date: 9/10/2026
Category: Criminal Courts / Hate Crimes / Victim Advocacy / Public Safety
NEW YORK CITY, NY – A Manhattan grand jury has added a state prosecution to the federal case against a man accused of storming Central Synagogue during Shabbat services, attacking two people and causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Larry Montes, 46, pleaded not guilty on September 9 in Manhattan Supreme Court before Judge Ann Thompson. The indictment alleges assault and criminal mischief as hate crimes. Montes remains in federal custody in a separate case arising from the same August 14 incident.
Prosecutors allege Montes disrupted worship at the Manhattan synagogue, rushed toward a rabbi while shouting and knocked over candlesticks. The damage exceeded $7,000, according to the prosecution. The alleged conduct forced congregants and staff to confront sudden violence inside a place where they had gathered to pray.
The indictment also accuses Montes of striking a 63-year-old woman. Prosecutors further allege that he spat on and headbutted a 65-year-old Black security guard, then used a racial slur. Those allegations put the physical safety and dignity of worshippers and staff at the center of the state case.
Prosecutors say statements Montes made after his arrest are evidence that bias motivated the alleged crimes. That claim will have to be tested in court. An indictment is an accusation, not proof, and Montes is presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
The parallel prosecutions matter because state and federal hate-crime laws can address different offenses, evidence and public harms. The Manhattan case focuses on alleged assault, property destruction and bias under New York law. The federal case provides a separate avenue for accountability tied to alleged interference with religious worship.
For Central Synagogue and other houses of worship, the case raises a broader public-safety concern. People should be able to attend religious services without fearing violence, racist abuse or destruction inside a sanctuary. Security workers should not have to absorb that risk simply because they are the first people standing between a threat and a congregation.
The next state court date is December 9. Prosecutors have said Montes faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top count. The federal proceeding remains separate, and any sentence would depend on the charges proved, the applicable law and rulings by the courts.
Unanswered questions include how the two prosecutions will be coordinated, what evidence will be introduced to establish alleged bias and whether additional security measures are being considered for the synagogue. Those questions matter to victims and worshippers who want accountability without losing access to an open religious community.
The case now moves through two court systems. Both will have to protect the rights of the accused while giving the alleged victims a fair process and treating an attack on worship as the serious public-safety threat prosecutors say it was.
Leave a Reply