Rutherford, NJ – An appeals court has lowered bail for one of the defendants in a series of firebomb attacks on northern New Jersey synagogues.
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Aakash Dalal (ah-KAHSH’ dah-LAHL’) has been held on $2.5 million bail since his March arrest on charges of arson, bias intimidation and criminal mischief. He has pleaded not guilty.
On Tuesday, the appeals panel ruled the bail amount was excessive and lowered it to $1 million.
The court noted Dalal has no prior criminal record and that co-defendant Anthony Graziano is believed to have physically committed the acts. The two, both 19 at the time of the alleged attacks, are childhood friends from Lodi.
Graziano has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of attempted murder stemming from the firebombing of a rabbi’s residence in Rutherford on Jan. 11.
It’s meaningless unless he has the means to meet bail, in which case it’s a foolish move on the part of the judge due to the potential of harm to the victims .