Analyst Accused of Punching Subway Worker Faces Judge, Civil Suit

A former Tocqueville Asset Management equity analyst who allegedly punched a New York subway operator in the face at the Coney Island subway station Dec. 16 appeared in Kings County Criminal Court in Brooklyn on Thursday after pleading not guilty to one count of second-degree assault and after the transit worker filed a separate civil complaint against him in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Sept. 11.

Why it matters: The equity analyst, Jean-Francois Coste, faces up to seven years in state prison because he is charged with a felony in the criminal case.

The subway operator he allegedly attacked, Tanya McCray, is seeking “the maximum sum permitted by law … all together with the costs and disbursements of this action,” according to the complaint.

She is also seeking compensatory and punitive damages against Coste.

What to know: McCray alleged that she was starting her shift at about 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 16, when she saw Coste try to enter a room in the Coney Island subway station that was for employees only.