By Yepoka Yeebo
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Three men were indicted Tuesday for two incidents last month of alleged LGBT hate crimes in the West Village.
Matthew Francis, 21 and Christopher Orlando, 17, both of Staten Island, pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and attempted robbery as hate crimes after allegedly attacking Benjamin Carver in the bathroom at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street on Oct. 3.
In a separate case, Frederick Giunta, 25, from Queens, also pleaded not guilty to attacking bartender Greg Davis, 38, at Julius Bar on West 10th Street, and shouting racist and anti-gay slurs at customers. Giunta is also accused of trying to steal a wallet from a patron at Ty's bar at 114 Christopher St. on Oct. 11.
"Attacks such as these not only harm individual victims, they also threaten entire communities in New York City,” Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said in a statement. "We created the Hate Crimes Unit to identify and then to build strong cases against those who commit bias crimes."
Francis, who allegedly made anti-gay statements and punched Carver, was charged with attempted robbery as a hate crime, assault as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon. Orlando was charged with attempted robbery as a hate crime, and assault as a hate crime. Both face up to eight years in prison.
Guinta, charged with attempted robbery and assault as a hate crime, faces up to five years in prison for the robbery, and one year for the hate crime.
"The indictments brought against each perpetrator will never take away what happened, but it is a start at justice in the form of prosecution to the fullest extent of the law in New York City," City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said in a statement.
