Former U.S. assistant attorney Andy McCarthy has raised concerns about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's handling of the Daniel Penny case. McCarthy alleges that Bragg attempted to influence the jury by dismissing manslaughter charges when they seemed deadlocked, in an effort to secure a conviction on a lesser charge.
The case revolves around an incident where Penny put a mentally ill homeless man in a chokehold after the man threatened passengers on a subway car during a psychotic episode. The manslaughter charge required proving recklessness on Penny's part, which the defense argues was not the case.
