By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
A New York federal judge delivered a mixed message Tuesday, refusing to overturn last year’s conviction of four men accused of plotting to blow up synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down military planes. At the same time, she suggested the men may have been entrapped by the FBI, Courthouse News service reported.
The ruling appears to have provided fodder for an appeal.
The legal website reported that defendants James Cromitie, Onta Williams, David Williams and Laguerre Payen based their appeal on lack of predisposition and outrageous government conduct,
The defendants claimed they were entrapped by an FBI informant who offered them $250,000 and other amenities to carry out a plot they never hatched, Courthouse News reported.
U.S. District Judge Connie McMahon said of the entrapment claim: “There is some truth to that description of what transpired here. Nonetheless, the motion is denied.”
