New York City Mayor Eric Adams is suggesting federal prosecutors also take the case of accused subway arsonist Sebastian Zapeta, who police say set a fire that claimed a woman on the subway last week.
The mayor directed the NYPD to partner with federal ICE Homeland Security Investigations “to explore criminal charges … under the federal arson statute.”
The move indicates the mayor’s increasing willingness to work with federal law officials to remove migrants charged with crimes from the city.
Under the suggestion, Zapeta would be prosecuted both by the Brooklyn District Attorneys Office and the U.S. Attorneys Office Eastern District, where a conviction under federal law for arson resulting in death could result in a 25-year-to-life sentence. Federal arson charges for property used in interstate commerce resulting in injury could carry a maximum of 40 years.
It is not unprecedented. In Manhattan, Luigi Mangione is currently facing dual prosecutions by both the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorneys Office Southern District.