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The family of Stephen Buttafuoco, a waiter who disrupted the wedding reception of a Jewish couple by blaring a recorded Arabic chant on a loudspeaker, said Sunday they hope to personally apologize to the newly-married couple.
The Buttafuocos are "considering whether to send a letter, but they don't want to upset them by contacting them," said Tom Spreer, of Babylon, Buttafuoco's lawyer.
"I talked to his father today, and they want to apologize but they're not sure of the best way to go about it," the lawyer said Sunday. Buttafuoco's father, a Christian minister, was so dejected and overwhelmed with sadness over his son's conduct that he did not lead Sunday morning's 10 a.m. church service, but instead had another minister fill in for him, Spreer said.
Rev. Daniel Buttafuoco, pastor of Gateway Life Center on George Street in Babylon, said Sunday that he wants to be sensitive to the couple, Spreer said. The Buttafuoco family may try to communicate with them through the Woodbury Jewish Center, where the reception took place, the lawyer said.
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A rabbi from the Woodbury Jewish Center could not be reached for comment Sunday.
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Stephen Buttafuoco, 23, of West Babylon, was arrested Jan. 9 and pleaded not guilty in Nassau District Court to aggravated harassment as a hate crime, a felony.
Buttafuoco has said he didn't know that his cell-phone recording of a pro-Palestinian rally, which he was playing for a friend, was also being broadcast over the reception hall's sound system for hundreds of guests at the Woodbury Jewish Center on early on the morning of Jan. 4.
Police say those who heard it became alarmed that a terrorist attack was imminent.
Nassau police said that final prayers at the reception Jan. 4 were interrupted by Buttafuoco playing the recording he'd made at a pro-Palestinian rally in Manhattan a day earlier. Guests became alarmed when they heard the chant "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great."
Buttafuoco has said he went to the Manhattan rally because he wants an end to the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.
He denied earlier reports by police that he was considering whether to convert to Islam.
§ 240.31 Aggravated harassment in the first degree.
A person is guilty of aggravated harassment in the first degree when
with intent to harass, annoy, threaten or alarm another person, because
of a belief or perception regarding such person's race, color, national
origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability
or sexual orientation, regardless of whether the belief or perception is
correct, he or she:
1. Damages premises primarily used for religious purposes, or acquired
pursuant to section six of the religious corporation law and maintained
for purposes of religious instruction, and the damage to the premises
exceeds fifty dollars; or
2. Commits the crime of aggravated harassment in the second degree in
the manner proscribed by the provisions of subdivision three of section
240.30 of this article and has been previously convicted of the crime of
aggravated harassment in the second degree for the commission of conduct
proscribed by the provisions of subdivision three of section 240.30 or
he has been previously convicted of the crime of aggravated harassment
in the first degree within the preceding ten years.
Aggravated harassment in the first degree is a class E felony.
Spreer said Buttafuoco’s father is a former Marine and pastor of a church in Babylon, and the family wished “to apologize to everyone who attended the wedding.”
Police initially said Buttafuoco also had been charged with disrupting a religious service. Spreer said that charge was not introduced at his arraignment.
poor Joey, I think he is a victim of the educational system. Lacking critical thinking skills he ends up being charged with a felony because he thought free speech was free. Then he got a lawyer and it's all a mistake?
naw, the fastest horse just entered the gate,
Little arsehole, let's hope he's learned about that simple concept called manners.
he will be paranoid for a long time now. he must be suffering a bit of personal terror knowing his face and name are out there for the despicable acts he committed, but it's nothing like the terror he supports over in the mid east.
Stupid people do stupid crap... If they can prove he did it on purpose throw the book at him. If as claimed it is just an accident, then it is just an accident.
By the way Madelyn Murray-Ohare's son is also a Christian Minister...
Irony is indeed and interesting thing.
If the other guy was killed in an auto accident in which you were somewhat at fault, unless you were drunk you almost certainly won't go to jail, though by the time the victims' family's lawyers get through with you you'll almost wish you had.
