Two of four young men arrested for plotting to attack an upstate New York Muslim community with homemade explosives were sentenced Friday to four to 12 years in prison.
Brian Colaneri, 20, and Andrew Crysel, 19, pleaded guilty to terrorism conspiracy in June.
They and two others from the Rochester area were accused of planning to attack Islamberg, near Binghamton. Police have said they had access to 23 rifles and shotguns and three homemade explosives when they were arrested in January.
Islamberg is a rural Delaware County community of about 200 residents that has been targeted with accusations, many spread on right-wing websites, of being a terrorist enclave. In 2017, a Tennessee man was convicted of federal charges for what authorities called plans to burn down Islamberg's mosque.
Police and analysts dismiss the terror camp claims.
"Your terrorist threat was not only an invidious threat to the way of life of your victims, but also a threat to everyone in our democratic society," Monroe County Court Judge Samuel Valleriani told the men at sentencing.
Both defendants expressed remorse.
"I never wanted it to go that far," Colaneri said, according to WHEC in Rochester.
Islamberg resident Tahirah Clark, the community's general counsel, said the plot has changed residents' lives.
"Our children are afraid, they're afraid, but yet resilient and strong and attempting to make the best of our new normal," she said, according to the Democrat & Chronicle , which reported that more than a dozen community members attended the sentencing.
A third defendant, Vincent Vetromile, 20, is scheduled to be sentenced to seven to 12 years in prison Aug. 29 after pleading guilty to weapons possession.
A 16-year-old high school student from suburban Rochester pleaded guilty in youth criminal court last month to criminal possession of a weapon as a crime of terrorism. He will be sentenced to seven years in state prison, serving the first two years in juvenile detention.
Investigators uncovered the plot after a student reported a suspicious comment in a lunchroom.
"This horrible incident shows the importance of coming forward if you believe there is any chance of violence against another," Assistant District Attorney Matthew Schwartz said. "Thank you to the members of the community who voiced their concerns and the Greece Police Department for investigating the matter."
Prosecutors said that for months late last year, Vetromile, Colaneri and Crysel made plans to acquire weapons and discussed strategies and methods for an attack. Vetromile, they said, solicited an individual to make explosive devices.
"These defendants targeted the inhabitants of Islamberg solely because of their religious beliefs," Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said, "and will have years in the New York State Department of Corrections to reflect on the severity of their actions."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden on Thursday paid tribute to her fellow teachers, hosting the 2024 national and state teachers of the year at a swanky White House dinner to honor their commitment to their students and excellence in the classroom.
“Tonight we celebrate you because teaching isn't just a job, it's a calling. And all of you were called to this profession for a reason," said the first lady, who has taught for more than 30 years. “You believe that a better world is possible and you make that world real.”
President Joe Biden made a brief, surprise appearance at the East Room event immediately after he returned from a trip to North Carolina, saying he appreciates everything teachers do.
“You're incredible,” he said. "You are the kite strings that lift our national ambitions aloft.”
The national and state teachers of the year typically attend a White House ceremony after they're selected by an organization that represents elementary and secondary school educators. (They did not visit during the coronavirus pandemic.)
But Jill Biden, who has taught English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College since 2009, added a new twist by honoring the teachers at a “state dinner” instead.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona pointed out that White House state dinners are reserved for kings, presidents and prime ministers as a sign of respect for their influence.
“So in hosting the state dinner for teachers, the president and his administration is honoring our teachers with a level of national respect that is long overdue,” he said to applause. “There is no American dream without American teachers.”
U.S. public schools continue to face a host of challenges, from teacher shortages due to low pay and job stress to underfunded schools to political fights over what should be taught and how.
A Pew Research Center survey conducted in April found majorities of K-12 teachers say their jobs are often stressful, their schools are understaffed and they wouldn't advise today's young people to follow them into the profession.
Missy Testerman, the 2024 National Teacher of the Year, who has taught for more than 30 years, said she often wishes she could create a “dream school” that would be a well-funded, modern and well-stocked place where every child flourishes and teachers see the potential in every student.
“Sadly, that dream can sometimes feel like a fantasy and our reality often feels heavy due to the struggles that we watch our students endure,” said Testerman, an English as a Second Language teacher at Rogersville City School in Rogersville, Tennessee.
“But in real life, we not only teach our students, we wrap our arms around them, advocate for them, help them feel secure and help them create a better future for themselves," she said.
A White House state dinner is a diplomatic tool selectively wielded by presidents to highlight cooperation from close U.S. allies. Key features include a pomp-filled welcome ceremony for the visiting head of state, face time with the president and a glitzy, black-tie dinner with hundreds of guests, including titans from the worlds of politics, business and Hollywood.
Teachers got a slimmed-down version.
As guests arrived, they posed for photos in front of a book shelf-like display featuring encyclopedias and other books with the papers of past presidents, brass hand bells, gold-painted apples and vases of irises, the official state flower of Tennessee, in honor of the National Teacher of the Year. Some of the vases were made out of upside-down pencils.
Each teacher was surprised at their seat by a handmade thank-you note from their students, fellow teachers and school leadership that was organized by their school principal.
Dinner was apple, walnut and celery root salad followed by a main course of lobster ravioli. Dessert was a trio of strawberries and cream, apple mousse and coconut custard cake.
Rounding out the guest list of more than 200 people were Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris; Cabinet members, including Cardona and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose husband Chasten is a teacher; members of Congress and the heads of the two major teachers' unions. Emhoff, a former entertainment lawyer, teaches at Georgetown Law School.
This year's State Teachers of the Year include those from 49 states, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense. Florida did not participate.
The Council of Chief State School Officers oversees the National Teacher of the Year Program.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, right, listens as his husband Chasten Buttigieg, left, talks with reporter as they arrive for a State Dinner at the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2024, to honor the 2024 National Teacher of the Year and other teachers from across the United States. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Randi Weingarten, president the American Federation of Teachers, stands to be recognized during a State Dinner at the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2024, to honor the 2024 National Teacher of the Year and other teachers from across the United States. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Joe Biden speaks as Missy Testerman, the 2024 National Teacher of the Year, and first lady Jill Biden listen during a State Dinner at the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2024, to honor the 2024 National Teacher of the Year and other teachers from across the United States. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Joe Biden speaks as Missy Testerman, the 2024 National Teacher of the Year, and first lady Jill Biden listen during a State Dinner at the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2024, to honor the 2024 National Teacher of the Year and other teachers from across the United States. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Missy Testerman, the 2024 National Teacher of the Year toasts with first lady Jill Biden during a State Dinner at the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2024, to honor the 2024 National Teacher of the Year and other teachers from across the United States. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
