Mon. November 19, 2007
New York, NY -
Two women have been charged with misdemeanor hate crimes in a case involving Josie Smith-Malave, the openly gay former contestant on the Bravo reality show, Top Chef. Smith-Malave and two friends were attacked outside a bar in Sea Cliff, N.Y., over Labor Day weekend.
Nassau County (N.Y.) police announced the arrests on Saturday, just a day after Smith-Malave filed a complaint against the department, saying it failed to vigorously pursue all suspects or file serious enough charges against two suspects linked to the crime.
"What police had told everyone was that this would be treated as a hate crime," Yetta Kurland, Smith-Malave's attorney, said during a news conference on Friday. The department "has broken its promise to the public and to my clients to treat the vicious attack... as the violent hate crime it was."
According to the Associated Press, the two women charged by police are Melissa Trimarchi, 21, and Elizabeth Borroughs, 20. Both were released on appearance tickets and are expected back in court within the month, according to police officials. If the women are convicted, they could recieve up to one to four years in prison.
A homeless man, Matthew W. Walli, 20, also was arrested in September on a charge of robbery as a bias crime, but the status of his court case currently is not known.
Written By Chrys Hudson
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