Prosecutors seek to apply the hate crime law, a distinction that can draw extended sentences.
Both have been charged in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn with murder as a hate crime, a distinction that could draw extended sentences.
In 2011, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Tapia v. United States that extending sentences for that reason is unlawful in light of the relevant federal law, which told judges that "imprisonment is not an appropriate means of promoting correction and rehabilitation".
He promises to crush crime with a mano dura, or iron fist, by extending sentences, hiring 10,000 police, expanding video surveillance and lowering the age of criminal responsibility.Polls show that many voters cannot wait for Mr Pérez to attack criminals.
They're trying to deter drug abuse, while also seeking to avoid packing prisons with people who receive extended sentences, often with no chance for parole, for being caught with drugs near schools.
Sentencing the two men, Judge Nicholas Price QC said the raid had been carried out with "remorseless efficiency" and had "all the hallmarks of a professionally planned commercial robbery"; he ordered Curtin to serve an extended sentence for the public's protection.
Thompson, who was in court, will serve an extended sentence of 15 years, and Marshall, who appeared by video link, will serve seven years for their parts in the assault.
Prosecutors accused four men of hate crimes, a distinction that can extend prison sentences.
Minor violations of petty regulations are frequently used as pretexts to extend the sentences of political prisoners, a report by Human Rights Watch found last year.
