Nearly Chabad Hassidim who were charged for digging a tunnel under the Chabad headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn have turned down a plea deal.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office's deal would have most defendants pleading down to fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, in exchange for no jail time. They would instead face a three-year ban from the building, which serves as a study hall and the epicenter of the international movement, and either 20 days of community service or $5,000 in restitution.
“Being banned from 770 [Eastern Parkway] for three years is worse than jail,” one of the defendants, Yaakov Rothchild, told the New York Post.
The 13 face obstruction of justice charges and could be headed to trial in January if they fail to come to an agreement with prosecutors.