Fur fool faces feds
B’klyn judge’s ‘caveman’ son charged in riot
Federal authorities have charged the son of a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week.
Aaron Mostofsky, 34, son of Judge Steven “Shlomo” Mostofsky, was arrested Tuesday morning at his brother’s home in Brooklyn, according to a source.
He was charged with theft of government property, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, impeding government business and unlawful entry and disorderly conduct, according to a criminal complaint.
Videos taken by The Yeshiva World show a swarm of FBI agents outside Mostofsky’s Flatbush home, talking with NYPD officers and taking away what appears to be the same the fur coat that Mostofsky was wearing in the deadly Jan. 6 riot.
Mostofsky was also sporting a clear riot shield and bulletproof vest with a “police” insignia in photos taken inside the Capitol building, prompting the theft of government property charge.
“The police riot shield and police vest are items of value belonging to the United States, specifically the U.S. Capitol Police,” wrote FBI agent Michael Attard in the complaint.
The value of the vest and shield together is just over $2,000, court papers say.
Mostofsky posted videos to his Instagram account showing him on a bus to the Capitol, including clips taken inside and outside the building, federal prosecutors said.
The feds even included a meme in their complaint, alleging that another Instagram user sent it to Mostofsky.
“Imagine coming off 10 hits of acid and u look around and ur in the US Capitol like shit,” the meme reads, along with a photo of Mostofsky in the Capitol.
“Your famous,” the person wrote to Mostofsky while sharing the meme. “IK [I know] unfortunately,” Mostofsky responded, according to the complaint. “Cause now people actually. know me.”
Prosecutors discovered another Instagram message in which Mostofsky told a friend to “look for a guy looking like a caveman” near the Capitol building, referring to his fur pelts, said court papers.
Mostofsky was released on $100,000 bail at his first court appearance Tuesday and was hooked up to an ankle monitor. He will stay with his brother, Neil “Nachman” Mostofsky.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Hafetz accused Mostofsky of “taking part in what was a mob attack and a rampage on the U.S. Capitol.”
But Mostofsky’s lawyer said his client wasn’t part of the mob and “just got caught up in it.”
“He understands how the whole thing in Washington got totally out of hand. He will have nothing to do with any of that stuff,” said attorney Jeffrey Schwartz.
Distant relative Yisroel Shenkman — whose wife is Mostofsky’s brother’s cousin — paid for the accused man’s bond.
As a condition of his release, Mostofsky is barred from visiting any state capitols, engaging with co-conspirators from the U.S. Capitol riot and traveling outside New York City.
Mostofsky’s judge father was nowhere to be seen Tuesday. The father’s spokesman said he had no knowledge of his son’s activity in the Washington siege that killed at least five people.
“Justice Mostofsky has no knowledge of these unfortunate events,” the spokesman told the Daily News, adding that the judge does not have a close relationship with his son.
Aaron Mostofsky’s friend told The News that his pal was proud of his actions.
“He’s very happy. He feels like what he did was for the country, and I think I can agree with him,” said Joe Gold, who grew up with the man in Midwood.
Mostofsky is a registered Democrat, according to public records. His brother, Nachman Mostofsky, runs Chovevei Zion — the Jewish Heritage Preservation Society — and is also a vice president of the South Brooklyn Conservative Club.