A millionaire banker who was captured on video punching an anti-Israel protester within the face and shoving one other to the bottom pleaded responsible to 6 misdemeanor prices — however can have his document expunged.
Jonathan Kaye, a former senior banker at Moelis & Co., had initially claimed self-defense after the protesters shouted slurs and threw pink and white liquid on him final 12 months.
However he copped a plea Friday in New York state courtroom in Brooklyn to scale back the fees to a violation — which might wipe his document clear — so long as he attends three anger administration courses and performs 25 days of group service, in line with Bloomberg Information.
Kaye, who just lately acquired employed by Rothschild, was additionally ordered to pay restitution of as much as $50,000 to his two victims.
The incident, which occurred on June 8 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, was broadly shared on social media, and confirmed Kaye punching a girl within the face.
The unidentified 38-year-old lady reported to authorities that the assault left her with a damaged nostril, lacerations and a black eye.
The second incident of involving one other anti-Israel protester has not been publicly disclosed.
Shortly after the video went viral, Kaye was positioned on depart by Moelis.
When contacted for remark, Kaye declined to talk publicly in regards to the case.
In line with sources, the altercation stemmed from a heated argument over the Israel-Hamas struggle.
Kaye, who’s Jewish, allegedly encountered a “Queers for Palestine” demonstration whereas out shopping for ice cream for his youngsters.
A supply near Kaye claimed he was surrounded by six people who shouted slurs at him earlier than dousing him with a pink and white liquid.
“He was in fear for his physical safety when he was surrounded by an angry mob of agitators who encircled him, physically assaulted him, and threw unknown liquids on him,” a spokesperson for Kaye stated in a press release.
“He could not identify any of these individuals and was left bloodied from the attack.”
The spokesperson additional asserted that any Jewish individual in such a state of affairs would naturally really feel threatened and act in self-defense given the rise in antisemitic incidents within the wake of the Oct. 7 assaults by Hamas.
For the reason that video surfaced, Kaye was reportedly the goal of dying threats and what his representatives have described as a “campaign of personal destruction” that has been each “traumatic and devastating.”
Kaye had beforehand claimed that the lady he struck had thrown a liquid at him earlier than the bodily confrontation.
Within the broadly circulated footage, he’s seen strolling away from her along with his jacket stained, audibly exclaiming, “She f–king threw s–t all over me,” whereas bystanders hurled insults at him.
Kaye, who has constructed a profitable profession on Wall Road, had beforehand spoken about professionalism and resilience in a podcast interview.
“You should learn the hard skills as fast as you can, but in the end, it’s really the skills of grit and resilience, learning how to listen, understanding what is motivating other people, and empathy — those are the indispensable skills that separate you from a calculator,” he instructed the “LSE Focal Point Podcast.”
Previous to his position at Moelis & Co., Kaye labored at Citibank as a managing director of worldwide mergers and acquisitions.
His in depth Wall Road expertise consists of stints at Citigroup, Jefferies, and JPMorgan, in line with his FINRA profile.
