NYC Bar Owner Who Defied Cuomo's COVID Orders Arrested for 'Trespassing' in His Own Business
An owner of a New York City bar that was providing indoor service in defiance of coronavirus restrictions was arrested after a sting in which plainclothes officers went inside and ordered food and beverages, the city sheriff’s office said.
Protesters shouted as deputies arrested Danny Presti, the co-owner of Mac’s Public House on Staten Island, on Tuesday.
The tavern is in an area designated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo as an “orange zone” and was prohibited from serving customers indoors.
But the owners had declared the bar an “autonomous zone,” a reference to protesters who claimed control over a Seattle neighborhood in June.
Mac’s Public House owner taken away in handcuffs as business protests dining mandates – https://t.co/uSqxGBtqR5 https://t.co/U3cdRCnsvH pic.twitter.com/aGhQxuZ8a6
— Chuck Francis (@BooksByChuck) December 2, 2020
The bar has been fined thousands of dollars as it continued to serve patrons inside and to operate past the 10 p.m. curfew for restaurant service that Cuomo imposed citywide.
According to a release from Sheriff Joseph Fucito, plainclothes deputies went inside Tuesday and ordered food. Uniformed deputies then went in and issued tickets for state and city violations.
Presti, 34, was uncooperative and was charged with obstruction of governmental administration in addition to the charges stemming from unauthorized food and beverage service, the sheriff said.
Lou Gelormino, an attorney who represents the tavern in its battle against the state and city, was there during the bust and was also ticketed.
Gelormino told the Staten Island Advance that Presti was arrested because he didn’t want to leave his business “and at that point … they considered it trespassing.”
Another attorney for the bar, Mark Fonte, told the newspaper, “These sheriff’s officers are wannabe cops. This is what happens when little people get a little power.”
State Sen. Andrew Lanza, a Republican, sought to calm the dozens of tavern supporters who jeered as Presti was led away in handcuffs.
Lanza said the bar owner should not have been arrested but added, “We respect law enforcement on Staten Island like no other borough.”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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