'Hate' to say she will walk
Even on felony
The Brooklyn woman accused of assaulting several Jewish victims — only to be released twice thanks to new bail laws — has now been hit with felony hate-crime charges, The Post has learned.
But the new raps are still not enough for a judge to impose bail on her under the controversial state “reforms.”
A grand jury in Brooklyn Supreme Court indicted Tiffany Harris on three counts of felony assault as a hate crime Jan. 7, court records show.
Harris, 30, was initially facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly slapping three Orthodox Jewish women in Crown Heights on Dec. 27 while shouting “F-U, Jews!”
Harris walked free under the state’s new soft-on-crime law, which bars judges from imposing bail in most misdemeanor cases and some felonies.
Within days, she had again been arrested — and released — for allegedly assaulting another Jewish woman in Prospect Heights.
She was arrested a third time on New Year’s Eve for allegedly blowing off an appointment with social workers and was finally held for a psychiatric evaluation.
Harris is now scheduled to be arraigned on the new indictment next Wednesday before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun.
But the upgraded assault charges aren’t bail-eligible under the new regime, either — so she will likely walk free once more.
Mark Bederow, a criminaldefense lawyer and former Manhattan prosecutor, told The Post that authorities’ hands are tied from keeping her locked up, despite her alleged repeat offenses.
“If she continues to just get arrested and the law does not recognize that she can be held unless she demonstrates persistently that she won’t come back to court, then prosecutors can’t do anything,” said Bederow, who is not involved in Harris’ case.
The lawyer said that the only thing that would land Harris behind bars is if she is convicted and sentenced to serve time.
“The law is designed not to incarcerate her before she is convicted,” he said.
Noting that the troublesome bail law officially took effect New Year’s Day, Bederow added, “Today is Jan. 14, and it’s already clear there are problems with [it].”
Neither Harris’ lawyer nor the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office responded to requests for comment Tuesday.