A California man, Jamie Tran, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Monday for the shooting and wounding of two Jewish men outside Los Angeles synagogues last year, according to federal prosecutors.
Tran, 30, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of federal hate crime with intent to kill and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, U.S. prosecutors confirmed in a statement.
The shooting occurred in February 2023 when Tran, who an FBI affidavit said had a “history of antisemitic and threatening conduct,” shot and wounded two Jewish men as they left synagogues. According to officials, the victims were specifically targeted due to their attire, which visibly identified them as Jewish, including black coats and head coverings. Both men survived the shootings, but the incident raised fear among the city’s Jewish population.
According to the FBI, Tran had searched online for a “kosher market” before deciding to carry out the shootings. His digital history, filled with antisemitic rants and threats, revealed a troubling past of hateful rhetoric aimed at the Jewish community.
“Targeting people for death based solely on their religious and ethnic background brings back memories of the darkest chapters in human history,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said. “We hope the sentence imposed today sends a strong message to all in our community that we will not tolerate antisemitism and hate of any sort.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass addresses community members and other local, state law enforcement officials in a town hall on antisemitic violence at YULA Boys High School in Los Angeles on February 20, 2023. A California man, Jamie Tran, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Monday for the shooting and wounding of two Jewish men outside Los Angeles synagogues last year.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
According to the affidavit, Tran previously emailed former classmates using insulting language about Jewish people and also threatened a Jewish former classmate.
Newsweek reached out to the FBI via email on Monday for comment.
As Jewish communities across the country prepare to observe the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland reiterated the Justice Department’s commitment to combating antisemitism.
“As millions of Jewish Americans prepare to observe the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Justice Department reaffirms its commitment to aggressively confronting, disrupting, and prosecuting criminal acts motivated by antisemitism, or by hatred of any kind,” Garland said in a statement. “No Jewish person in America should have to fear that any sign of their identity will make them the victim of a hate crime.”
The end of Tran’s case highlights the growing concerns about hate crimes in the U.S., particularly those directed at Jewish and other minority communities. Hate crimes against the Jewish community have dramatically increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an advocacy group that frequently speaks out against antisemitism and extremism.
Over the past year since Hamas‘ October 7 attack on Israel and subsequent beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, the ADL has tracked an increase in acts of antisemitism in the United States.
Major Jewish groups have also been documenting this trend, which was confirmed last week in the FBI’s 2023 Hate Crime Report.
The report found that the Jewish community was the most-targeted religious group, with 1,832 anti-Jewish incidents accounting for 67 percent of all religiously-motivated hate crimes recorded by the FBI. That was up from up 1,124 incidents the prior year. The incidents include vandalism, harassment, assault and false bomb threats, The Associated Press reported.
In addition, the ADL has also previously said it is important to note that historically anti-Muslim hate also rises during similar times of crisis in the region.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
