See if this passes the criminal-justice laugh test:
Joseph Manzi, 32, was ready last week to plead guilty to a misdemeanor assault in Queens County Supreme Court for his violent June 2007 attack on retired NYPD Capt. Charles Stravalle.
Manzi has notched at least nine prior arrests; the charge could have landed him up to a year in jail. Yet a plea agreement reached with the office of Queens DA Richard Brown would give him just a year’s probation – running concurrently with his probation for an unrelated drug charge.
In other words, a free pass.
And this wasn’t just any assault: The beating sent a semi-conscious Stravalle to the emergency room – and Manzi had allegedly targeted him in specific retaliation for an arrest the captain made four years previous.
“I know where you live . . . I know you have a new baby . . . I’m gonna kill you!” Manzi reportedly yelled at Stravalle during their confrontation in a Rego Park restaurant.
All of which raises the question: Is someone in Brown’s office asleep at the wheel?
Truth is, any cop worth his salt is bound to gather the ire of more than a fair share of vengeful ex-cons over the years – that’s one of the many reasons the law imposes such stiff extra penalties for assaulting police officers.
Attacks on retired officers like Capt. Stravalle don’t (yet) carry any added jail time – but, as his case clearly shows, plenty of criminals have long memories.
Which is why there’s no excuse for not prosecuting thugs like Manzi to the fullest extent of the law.
It’s a simple matter of protecting cops.
Or as Police Commissioner Ray Kelly put it: “Anything less [than jail time] would only encourage future attacks on police officers, prosecutors and judges. The attacker should not be rewarded with leniency simply because he waited until Captain Stravalle retired to assault him.”
Fortunately, Justice James Griffin refused to rubber-stamp the plea deal, asking instead for a full probation report on Manzi before rendering a decision.
Good for him – though there’s hardly any question as to where he should come down.
Joseph Manzi deserves to go to jail.