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Investment banker fired for punching female MTA worker TWICE in the face

An investment banker arrested for allegedly attacking a female New York City subway operator while intoxicated in Brooklyn Friday has been put on leave by his Manhattan investment firm, the company has announced.

Officials at Tocqueville Asset Management made the revelation in a statement Sunday, but would not say whether 53-year-old finance worker Jean-Francois Coste's suspension would be with or without pay.

Coste, who had worked at the Midtown firm for nearly 15 years before Friday's early-morning assault on MTA worker Tanya McCray at a Coney Island subway station, faces up to seven years in prison for the attack.

According to McCray, 56, the altercation transpired after she denied a visibly intoxicated Coste access to an employees-only area of the station. When the MTA vet told the financier he couldn't gain access, he allegedly responded by punching her twice in the face. He was arrested but has since been freed without bail.

Officials at Tocqueville Asset Management made the revelation in a statement Sunday, but would not say whether 53-year-old Jean-Francois Coste's suspension would be with or without pay. Police said he was intoxicated during the Friday morning assault

Officials at Tocqueville Asset Management made the revelation in a statement Sunday, but would not say whether 53-year-old Jean-Francois Coste's suspension would be with or without pay. Police said he was intoxicated during the Friday morning assault

Tanya McCray, 56, was about to begin her shift when she witnessed Coste attempting to access a room for employees only. McCray told police that when she denied Coste access and said he couldn't get in, he punched her in the face twice

Tanya McCray, 56, was about to begin her shift when she witnessed Coste attempting to access a room for employees only. McCray told police that when she denied Coste access and said he couldn't get in, he punched her in the face twice

Tocqueville, a boutique Midtown investment firm where average analysts' salaries skirt six figures, wrote in their statement Sunday that the suspension was effective immediately, and would persist as police continue to probe the assault.  

'Tocqueville Asset Management is completely intolerant of violent behavior and, pending further investigation, will take whatever action is necessary,' the company said of allegations currently leveled against the senior equity analyst. 

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Police insiders, meanwhile, told The Daily News that the arrest was Coste’s first, with the paper also reporting that reporters were rebuffed by the finance worker when they approached him at his posh brownstone apartment in Boerum Hill. 

Cops said that Coste took off after the assault, at the Stillwell Avenue station around 12:15 a.m, but was cornered by transit workers and eventually cuffed by police.

Coste is currently charged with assault on a transit employee, harassment, and menacing - offenses that could seem him put behind bars for a maximum of seven years - but was still ordered released without bail during a brief arraignment in Brooklyn Criminal Court Friday. 

He is expected to face those charges in March. Police are still investigating the incident, which left train worker McCray hospitalized with several bruises.

Toutique Midtown investment firm wrote in their statement Sunday that the suspension was effective immediately, and would persist as police continue to probe the Friday assault

Toutique Midtown investment firm wrote in their statement Sunday that the suspension was effective immediately, and would persist as police continue to probe the Friday assault

The MTA veteran was able to fight off Coste by hitting him in the face with her thermos and lunch bag before being assisted by a co-worker. 

'I didn’t see him punch me,' McCray told the Daily News how she was suddenly stuck after refusing to let the suspect into the employee section of the station. 'I didn’t see the punch, it happened so fast.' 

Fortunately, despite the late hour, several police officers were stationed at the stop due to it having a police precinct on the platform, as well as officers tasked with minding homeless subway riders. 

Coste, an equity analyst at the Manhattan frim for the past 15 years, was taken into custody after he attempted to run into an idling train and cops were able to corner him

 Coste, an equity analyst at the Manhattan frim for the past 15 years, was taken into custody after he attempted to run into an idling train and cops were able to corner him

They took Coste into custody after he attempted to run into an idling train and cops were able to corner him. 

McCray suffered several bruises and was taken to a local hospital. McCray, her bosses and her union are demanding the full punishment for Coste. 

Coste, meanwhile, was not asked to pay bail upon his release early Friday, and apparently leads a fairly upscale life - with photos on his Instagram promoting trips to the Guggenheim, Broadway shows, music festivals at the Jersey Shore. 

Coste and his partner have also been photographed running marathons, with a September snap showing them running one in Neptune, New Jersey. 

He's often public about his love of beer and wine, with one post a Heineken ad that he described as 'advertising at its best,' along with multiple shots of Coste enjoying a beverage with his friends and family. 

There were a lot of police officers at the station as not only does the stop have a police precinct, there are usually officers there as part of an attempt to connect with homeless subway riders at that late hour

There were a lot of police officers at the station as not only does the stop have a police precinct, there are usually officers there as part of an attempt to connect with homeless subway riders at that late hour

The MTA veteran was able to fight off Coste by hitting him in the face with her thermos and lunch bag before being assisted by a co-worker. Since released from the hospital, she said of her attacker Saturday: 'I hope justice is done. I hope he gets jail time'

The MTA veteran was able to fight off Coste by hitting him in the face with her thermos and lunch bag before being assisted by a co-worker. Since released from the hospital, she said of her attacker Saturday: 'I hope justice is done. I hope he gets jail time'

He received his undergrad in France before getting his Master's Degree at Northeastern University in Boston. 

Coste lives in a brownstone in the Boreum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn that rents for about $9,200 a month, according to Zillow

As police investigate the altercation, a Brooklyn judge advised Coste to stay clear of McCray.

McCray, who has since been released from the hospital, said of her attacker Saturday: 'I hope justice is done. I hope he gets jail time.' 

Police sources told the New York Daily News they suspected Coste - who they saw as clearly drunk - was trying to use the bathroom. 

Coste - who suffered a black eye and scratches to his face - has been charged with assaulting a transit employee, harassment and menacing. He was released without bail and is expected to appear in court again in March

Coste - who suffered a black eye and scratches to his face - has been charged with assaulting a transit employee, harassment and menacing. He was released without bail and is expected to appear in court again in March

Coste and his partner have also been photographed running marathons, with a September snap showing them running one in Neptune, New Jersey

Coste and his partner have also been photographed running marathons, with a September snap showing them running one in Neptune, New Jersey

Transport Workers Union President Richard Davis added: 'We will see this guy in court .... No more slaps on the wrist.'

NYC Transit Chief Operating Officer Craig Cipriano added that his agency has 'zero tolerance' for attacks against transit workers. 

While overall crime in the city is up nearly 25 percent in 2022, transit crime had gone down in November, with the city crediting a surge in police on the subway system

Felony assaults are up 12.8 percent across the five boroughs through December 11. 

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Reinaldo Massengill

Update: 2024-08-15