The 63-year-old man accused of setting off smoke grenades and opening fire on a rush-hour subway in Brooklyn this past April, wounding 10 riders in a bloody mess as the train moved between stations, is expected to plead guilty to terrorism in the case Tuesday, court records show.
Frank James has been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn since the April 12 attack in Sunset Park. One of the city’s worst subway attacks in recent years, it sparked a 30-hour manhunt that ended only when he called the police on himself — and raised questions about the MTA’s surveillance footage system and camera protocol in the following months.
Miraculously, none of the victims suffered life-threatening gunshots. Other subway riders were hurt as well, mainly in the chaos that ensued after the barrage of rapid gunfire and curtains of smoke in the midst of the morning rush.
James initially pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with the attack, but told his lawyers in December that he wanted to plead guilty. They didn’t immediately explain why he wanted to admit his involvement.
Prosecutors say James plans to plead guilty to 11 charges with no plea agreement. Ten of those charges — each one corresponding to a specific victim — accuse him of committing a terrorist attack against a mass transportation system carrying riders and workers. The 11th charge accuses James of discharging a firearm during a violent crime.
In a letter to Judge William F. Kuntz II late last week, prosecutors indicated they planned to seek a harsher punishment than the roughly 32-to-39-year sentence that federal sentencing guidelines would recommend.
James planned the attack for years and endangered the lives of dozens of people, prosecutors said in the letter.
More Coverage
Kuntz issued an order last week instructing the U.S. Marshals Service to use “all necessary force” to ensure that James shows up at Tuesday’s plea proceeding, noting that James has refused to appear at past hearings.
James balked at being taken to a court date in October but appeared later that day after Kuntz issued a similar order for him to be forced to court if necessary.
Defense attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday, when courts were closed.
Before the shooting, James, who is Black, posted dozens of videos online in which he ranted about race, violence and his struggles with mental illness. In some, he decried the treatment of Black people and talked about how he was so frustrated, “I should have gotten a gun and just started shooting.”
He had been scheduled to stand trial in late February.
0 Comments