Republished From Idavox
FREEHOLD, NJ – Nicholas G. Mucci, the White Supremacist who two months ago pleaded guilty to attacking a One People’s Project benefit show with smoke bombs and pepper spray in early 2023 attempted to apologize to the prosecutor and the court for his actions. The judge noted however that the apologies should not be for them as they were doing their job but rather for those who attended the show. He then sentenced Mucci to a total of eight years in prison, noting how a show was promoting peace and harmony “that was disturbed” and could have been worse given society’s current climate.
Mucci, 29, spoke for five minutes before he was sentenced, his voice cracking at times beginning by saying the 18 months he has served since he was arrested March 2023 was “embarrassing” and attempted to convince the court that he was not the person he made himself out to be. “I feel mad at myself that I allowed myself to get that far,” he said, noting that a year before he was in Mexico exploring other cultures. He also expressed remorse about attempting to pepper spray a person during the show who was loading band equipment into his vehicle and was just leaning against the car when he approached. He said he ended up mostly missing the person and ended up spraying himself during the altercation. “I was a fool,” he told the Judge Richard W. English agreeing with the prosecution’s earlier declaration that he was as they said a “fully radicalized individual.” Mucci himself noted how he would be on his phone five hours at a time not handling his other responsibilities. On Telegram one of his screen names was “Glattkosher”.
The defense had asked for a six-year sentence citing mental illness that was aggravated during the Pandemic. Mucci did receive credit for the 550 days he had already served.
During their remarks, the prosecution from the State Attorney General’s office notice that law enforcement knew of Mucci as they were engaged in an undercover operation that focused on his group the Garden State Nationalist Club an organization that was formed out of the New Jersey Chapter of White Lives Matter. The organization has been associated with others such as the Pennsylvania chapter of White Lives Matter, New Jersey European Heritage Association, National Socialist Youth Alliance and Storm 14 (S14). The prosecutor also noted that they were aware of others that were went him on the day of the show. It has been learned that Claudino Petruccelli, a White Lives Matter associate from Wyckoff, NJ was among those there.
According to the prosecutor, the group sought to engage in a number of attacks in the state, among them the one against the sold-out show being held at a church in Asbury Park, NJ, indicating that Mucci’s involvement was not just a dalliance into White Supremacy.
Over the summer two others associated with Mucci and his group were arrested. Andrew Takhistov, 18, was arrested in July at Newark Liberty Airport and accused of planning to sabotage energy facilities. Days later, Steve V. Koshlyak was arrested and is currently being held on as yet unspecified charges. No one connected to any of the organizations that Mucci was associated with appeared in court, his mother being the only one who came out to support him.
In a rare move, court officials attempted to identify those that were in the courtroom before proceedings began, a bailiff reportedly holding a list of names. No one was removed although there was a brief disagreement with a reporter that was eventually resolved. After proceedings, Mucci was led out of the courtroom by a Black law enforcement official.