Wedding Zinger: Waiter's Gag Disrupts Jewish Ceremony
Man pleads not guilty to harassment charge after blaring Arabic chant at Jewish event
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009 | Updated 10:42 AM EST
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A Long Island waiter is accused of blaring an Arabic chant over the stereo system at a Jewish wedding.
A waiter who shocked guests at a Jewish wedding by playing a recording of a crowd chanting in Arabic has pleaded not guilty to a felony harassment charge.
Nassau County police say Stephen Buttafuoco was working at the Woodbury Jewish Center on Long Island on Jan. 4 when he played the chant over a sound system.
He was arrested Friday and arraigned Saturday.
Buttafuoco's lawyer says it was an accident. He says his client only meant to play the tape for a friend and didn't realize it was being amplified.
Investigators say the 23-year-old West Babylon man made the recording when he attended a rally opposing Israeli military action in Gaza, during which protesters chanted, "Allah Akbar," or "God is great."
Police initially released a statement saying that Buttafuoco had also been charged with disrupting a religious service, but that charge was not introduced at his arraignment.
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