Ex-Cop Hit With 39-Count Indictment For Anti-Semitic Vandalism In Borough Park

Michael Setiawan, the former police officer arrested earlier this month in connection with an anti-Semitic graffiti spree in Borough Park, was hit on Tuesday with a 39-count indictment charging him with multiple counts of criminal mischief as a hate crime, among other charges.

Setiawan, 36, was arraigned on Friday via video conference from Bellevue Hospital, where he has been under observation since his arrest on May 4. He is being held on $75,000 bail.

If found guilty, Setiawan faces up to four years in prison on each of the nine hate crime charges.

“Hate crimes such as these are hurtful and must not be tolerated in a civilized society, particularly in Brooklyn, where we embrace diversity,” said District Attorney Ken Thompson in a statement announcing the indictment.

Setiawan is accused of taking to the streets on May 3, spraying swastikas and anti-Semitic messages on 15 vehicles and four buildings, including a Jewish elementary school. Surveillance video at one of the locations captured a fairly clear shot of the perpetrator’s face.

Setiawan served only two years on the police force.

The Daily News reports that court documents claim Setiawan copped to the vandalism, saying he did it because he was poorly tipped by Jewish clients when he was a deliveryman.

“I just vandalized the cars…because I don’t like those people,” Setiawan said from his holding cell at the 68th Precinct stationhouse, according to a document made public Tuesday.

Asked why, he replied: “Because they’re cheap…When I was a deliveryman, they never gave me anything.”

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