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Regulation and Compliance > Litigation

Analyst Pleads Guilty to Punching Subway Worker 

By Jeff Berman

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The former senior equity analyst at Tocqueville Asset Management who allegedly punched a New York subway operator in the face at the Coney Island subway station last year has changed his plea from not guilty to guilty, according to court documents.

 Jean-Francois Coste previously pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges against him after the Metropolitan Transit Authority worker, Tanya McCray, filed a civil complaint against him in Kings County Supreme Court on Sept. 11 related to the incident that occurred Dec. 16, 2022.

But on Oct. 30, Coste switched his plea to guilty on the two charges against him: assault in the second degree and assault in the third degree.

Coste is to appear again in court for the criminal case on Dec. 4, according to court documents.

An update on the civil case was not immediately available Monday, and attorneys for Coste and McCray couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

McCray is seeking the maximum amount permitted by law in the civil case, along with compensatory and punitive damages against Coste.

 She alleged that she was starting her shift at about 12:30 a.m. when she saw Coste try to enter a room in the Coney Island subway station that was for employees only. 

McCray said she told Coste he wasn’t allowed in the room, and he then allegedly punched her in the face. The subway operator tried to defend herself, she said, by hitting him with a thermos.

Police were already at the station when the alleged attack occurred and arrested Coste while he tried to get away by hopping onto a train.

 Tocqueville Asset Management said Coste was suspended “immediately after the incident and is no longer with the firm.” 

Jeff Berman

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