Matthew Mahrer, an autistic Jewish man who helped a neo-Nazi obtain an illegal firearm in 2022, has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison in a New York court.
Mahrer and his accomplice, Christopher Brown, were arrested in Manhattan after Brown threatened to shoot up a synagogue. Police recovered the firearm in Mahrer’s apartment. The incident received widespread attention and Mahrer’s case split local Jewish community members.
At Mahrer’s sentencing today, his family and supporters as well as Jewish community members calling for a harsh sentence filled the courtroom.
Mahrer’s lawyer pled for an alternative to prison, but the judge said that was not an option due to sentencing guidelines.
“I could not be more grateful that no one was hurt and I’m sorry to everyone, especially my family,” Mahrer tells the court. “I’m never going to stop trying to be a better person.”
Some of Mahrer’s family and supporters wept after the sentencing was announced.
In addition to the prison time, Mahrer will be under legal supervision for two years after his release.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this