Michael Riccardi
Michael Riccardi | |
|---|---|
| Criminal status | released |
| Conviction(s) | guilty verdict |
| Criminal charge | first degree assault, third degree weapons possession. |
| Penalty | five to fifteen Years |
Michael Riccardi (born 1963)[1] a New Yorker who attempted to kill Reverend Al Sharpton on January 12, 1991. While Sharpton was leading a march in the Italian neighborhood of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn protesting the death of Yusuf Hawkins,[2] who was shot and killed by Joseph Fama in the neighborhood 2 years earlier, Riccardi stabbed Sharpton in the chest with a five-inch knife.[3] Riccardi, whose criminal past included convictions for assaulting a police officer and weapons possession,[3] was apprehended by Sharpton's security detail and was turned over to the NYPD officers that were in the area monitoring the march. Sharpton sued the city for failing to protect him.[2]
In 1992, he was convicted of first-degree assault. Sharpton asked the judge for leniency when sentencing Riccardi.[2]
The judge sentenced Riccardi to five to 15 years in jail,[4] and he served ten years in prison[2] being released on parole on January 8, 2001.[1] Sharpton visited Riccardi in prison, and Riccardi apologized to him in an emotional jailhouse meeting, and also asked forgiveness from Sharpton's family.[citation needed]
Quotes
- "I thought the act would make me a hero in my new community, (Riccardi had just moved into area) but of course it didn't work out..." -Riccardi's comment on why he stabbed the Reverend Al Sharpton.[5]
References
- ^ a b New York State Board of Corrections Records
- ^ a b c d Lueck, Thomas. "City Settles Sharpton Suit Over Stabbing". New York Times, December 9, 2003.
- ^ a b McFadden, Robert D. "Sharpton is Stabbed at Bensonhurst Protest". New York Times, January 13, 1991.
- ^ Daniels, Lee A. "Attacker of Sharpton is Sentenced". New York Times, March 17, 1992.
- ^ Al Sharpton - Profile of the Rev. Al Sharpton