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Possible Plea Deal In Works For Women Who Vandalized Tempe Mosque

A plea deal could be in the works for two Arizona women who were arrested earlier this year after using racial slurs and burglarizing a Tempe mosque.

The two women face felony charges for trespassing and vandalizing the Islamic Community Center of Tempe, which they had livestreamed on Facebook. One of them, Tahnee Gonzales, is also charged with three counts of endangering a minor because she brought her kids.

Now talks are underway for a possible plea agreement. Gonzales’ attorney, Marc Victor, says his client has had a change of heart and has been working with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office on some kind of reconciliation with the mosque.

"She’s been educated and more enlightened about the situation," he said. "And she’s concluded that she made a mistake and wants to do everything she can to fix it.”

Victor says he doesn’t expect the plea deal to be contingent on an apology but, either way, his client would like to do that.

In a statement, a representative of the Tempe mosque says they’re open to meeting with the women and would like to see them serve community service instead of a restitution settlement.

Will Stone was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2015 to 2019.