2 Indicted on Charges in Jackson Heights Transgender Attack

NEW YORK (AP/ 1010 WINS) -- Two men have been indicted on hate crime charges in an assault on a transgender woman in one of New York City's most diverse neighborhoods.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said Friday that a grand jury indicted Gilberto Ortiz and Trinidad Tapia on second-degree assault as a hate crime and other charges in the June 19 attack.

The two men face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

After pleading not guilty to the charges on Friday, both were released on their own recognizance.

Brown says the two men spotted a transgender woman on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, thought she was gay and attacked her with a metal belt buckle.

ALSO: Slain Transgender People Remembered Around World

TM & Copyright 2009 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO & EYE Logo TM & Copyright 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. TheAssociated Press contributed to this report.

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