The family of a prominent New York City restaurant owner who was allegedly attacked in the middle of the street by the son of a former Israeli official are slamming a judge for letting him out on a $25k bond.
‘I don’t know why this guy who attacked me was just let go without any responsibility,’ Maor Vanunu, 42, told DailyMail.com. ‘I think that’s a joke.’
Vanunu, who owns Hummus Kitchen and Zizi restaurants, was randomly attacked in February, when officials said Jounathan Maimon, 24, repeatedly hit him over the head with a 1.75 liter jug.
Vanunu suffered a brain bleed and lacerations to the back of his head, and says he continues to suffer memory and hearing loss seven months later.
Maimon, whose father previously served as the Israeli Cabinet Secretary, has since been charged with attempted murder but was back on the streets shortly after paying his bond. He was then allowed to travel back to his home country to visit his mother.
Maimon is due back in court Friday.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com Tuesday, Vanunu claimed the New York City judge overseeing the criminal case ‘helped [the suspect] out a lot.’
He noted Maimon’s father, Israel Maimon, Israel’s former cabinet secretary and the former head of Israel Bonds, is ‘well-connected’ and Maimon was able to hire ‘really high-quality lawyers.’
Maimon is now claiming that he was drugged and does not remember what he did, though there were no drugs found in his body when he turned himself into police, according to Israeli outlet YNet News.
A woman who saw Maimon standing outside the Gospel nightclub in SoHo shortly before the attack also allegedly told Vanunu that Maimon seemed pretty determined.
