A disturbing video of a razor-wielding felon attacking a female prosecutor last month has surfaced on YouTube and other Web sites after it was leaked by someone in the US Marshals Service, sources said today.
The video shows thug Victor Wright lunging at Brooklyn federal prosecutor Carolyn Pokorny seconds after he walks into the courtroom, where he faced two life sentences for drug dealing.
As he throws her to the ground, two marshals, prosecutor Daniel Rabkin, the defense attorney and a court reporter all rush the hulking Wright, pinning him to the ground and pulling Pokorny out from under him.
Wright’s lawyer, Harry Batchelder, 72, and court reporter Ron Tolkin, 60, help the two marshals, who are armed with batons, restrain the crazed con as Rabkin escorts a shaken Pokorny from the courtroom.
A small razor blade was found on the ground when the melee subsided. Wright, 37, likely hid the blade in a body cavity before entering the courthouse then moved it into his shoe for easier access, a source said.
The attack occurred March 11 in Judge Frederic Block’s courtroom.
The video surfaced online April 16 after the Marshals Service distributed it to others in their headquarters in Washington, D,C for training purposes, a source said. Within a day, it had been posted on YouTube and other video sites.
Less than 24 hours later, YouTube had yanked the video at the request of the Marshals Service, which said it is evidence in the ongoing investigation into the attack, a source said.
Prosecutors in the Southern District are handling that investigation and no charges have been filed yet, said a source.
An internal investigation is being conducted by the Marshals Service to determine who leaked the video, said spokesman Ralph Rosado.
Pokorny, who was back at work the day after the attack, expressed gratitude to her saviors today.
“I am very grateful to everyone who was in the courtroom that day, especially Ron, Harry and Jeff Rabkin, who all went way above the call of duty,” she said.
Chief Judge Raymond Dearie said stricter security measures have been implemented in the courthouse since the incident.
“This was a wakeup call for our court and around the country,” he said.
For instance, judges may choose to make defendants with a history of violence sit at the defense table instead of standing in front of the judge, just feet away from the prosecutors.
Dearie said the change takes some getting used to.
“There’s an intimacy associated with sentencings. You’re trying to communicate a message to someone who is trying to communicate with you,” he said. “[With the defendants seated], it becomes a more institutional proceeding rather than an opportunity to communicate on a man-to-man level.
“We’re all willing to acknowledge that we have to rethink issues of courtroom security,” he added.
A career female federal prosecutor who didn’t want to be named said she’s relieved that safety issues are being scrutinized.
“We are one of a small number of jurisdictions where prosecutors are supposed to stand very close to unshackled defendants,” she said “A lot of us want that changed.”
Wright is scheduled to be sentenced May 7 via videoconference.