A Bronx judge warned the violent mugger accused of robbing a 7-year-old boy and slapping his mom that she came “this close to go to Rikers Island right now” after freeing her under supervision, according to a court transcript.
Monique Fort, 48, appeared before Judge Margaret W. Martin on Oct. 17 — about three weeks after cops say she ripped about $3 out of the child’s hand and walloped his mom inside Richard’s Fruit and Vegetables on Jerome Avenue in Mount Eden on Sept. 24.
Martin granted supervised release to Fort — who cops say has 14 prior arrests — but issued a stern warning.
“Ms. Fort, I am telling you right now. It might not seem like it, but you came this close to go to Rikers Island right now,” the judge reproached her.
“If you screw this up in any way, I’m remanding you, which means you could be the richest person on the face of the earth, and you wouldn’t be able to bail out until these charges are resolved,” she added.
“I am not kidding. You are going to walk out of here and you are going to think that you got over on the Court. If you don’t show and if you are rearrested for something new, you are going to jail.”
Three times, the judge asked Fort if she understood — to which the accused mugger replied, “Yes.”
The judge also issued an order of protection to keep Fort away from the injured mom and her rattled son.
Surveillance video of the shocking bodega robbery showed Fort poking her head in the door of the small market and accosting the boy, who was holding the small bills in his hand.
She snatched his money and turned to leave but walked into the boy’s 38-year-old mother — who tried to stop her while pushing another young child in a stroller, the video showed.
The bullying mugger then smacked the mom in the face and took off.
NYPD
The attack left the young boy “crying, visibly shaken and apologizing to his mother for her being attacked,” Assistant District Attorney Gary McKenna said.
Fort was arraigned on the charges of both felony and misdemeanor assault, as well as felony robbery, grand larceny, petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, according to the criminal complaint against her.
At the start of the arraignment, Martin initially disputed the felony assault charge, arguing that “the facts don’t allege serious physical injury, which is an element.”
“And there isn’t an allegation that whatever injury did occur here was inflicted by use of a dangerous instrument,” Martin said.
“The only thing I see actually is the minor child upset,” argued Fort’s Legal Aid Society attorney, Eric Scott.
But McKenna insisted that the serial perp should be held on $20,000 cash bail, $60,000 insurance bond or partially secured bond because of her arrest history and alleged failure to return to court.
Fort has “three warrants out of New York County on extremely old cases” and “an assault case that is currently before the Bronx Court that was arraigned in late September,” McKenna said.
Her other prior busts have been for robbery, reckless endangerment, prostitution and loitering, police said this week.
“Don’t screw this up,” Martin advised Fort as the arraignment came to a close. “You are going to be interviewed by the people of supervised release now. No one is going to try to make this hard for you.
“This is about making sure you come back to court, you are not rearrested and you know what it means to abide by the terms of the order of protection.”