Judge Finds Brad Lander Not Guilty in What Primary Opponent Dubs ‘Performative, Self-Promoting’ ICE Arrest Case

A federal judge has found a former New York City comptroller, Brad Lander, not guilty of obstructing the elevators during a September protest against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency inside a Manhattan federal courthouse.Mr. Lander — now running for the Democratic nomination to represent New York’s 10th congressional district — was among several officials detained at 26 Federal Plaza as they demanded access to ICE holding cells in the building. Prosecutors accused Mr. Lander of causing a disturbance and ignoring warnings to move because he was blocking an elevator. Federal officials in October offered to throw out the misdemeanor charges if Mr. Landers agreed to stop protesting inside federal buildings for six months. He refused and pleaded not guilty.Mr. Lander denied blocking an elevator during his testimony in a bench trial on Wednesday and a United States magistrate judge for the Southern District of New York, Henry Ricardo, was not convinced by the government’s case.Mr. Lander wore a New York Knicks hat as he reacted to the verdict outside the courthouse. “I am genuinely moved by Judge Ricardo’s thoughtful, thorough review and ruling in this case,” Mr. Lander told reporters.Mr. Lander was previously arrested and charged with assaulting federal officers during a scuffle at a June protest at the same federal building. Mr. Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette, released video of the incident to his X account, saying he was “escorting a defendant out of immigration court” when the immigrant and Mr. Lander were “taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.” Those charges were later dropped.Mr. Lander is challenging incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman for his seat in the Democratic primary on June 23. Mr. Lander is already on the November general election ballot under the Working Families Party.Mayor Zohran Mamdani is backing Mr. Lander in the race and Governor Kahty Hochul has endorsed Mr. Goldman.Mr. Goldman criticized Mr. Lander for trying to fundraise off of the case. “Our immigrant neighbors deserve someone who will fight and win for them, not a career politician who will fundraise off of a performative, self-promoting case that helps no one in the immigrant communities in the district,” Mr. Goldman said in an X post.

Judge Finds Brad Lander Not Guilty in What Primary Opponent Dubs ‘Performative, Self-Promoting’ ICE Arrest Case

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