The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday that a Michigan man was sentenced to 26 months in prison for conspiring with a White supremacist group that targeted Black and Jewish people, and for defacing a Jewish synagogue. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI |
License PhotoJune 4 (UPI) — A Michigan man was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in prison for conspiring with a White supremacist group that targeted Black and Jewish people, and for defacing a Jewish synagogue with Nazi swastikas, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Nathan Weeden, 24, was sentenced to 26 months followed by three years of supervised release, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. He was convicted in January of one count of conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten or intimidate and one count of intentionally defacing, damaging or destroying religious property based on race or ethnic characteristics.
Weeden was convicted of conspiring with Richard Tobin of New Jersey and Yousef Barasneh of Wisconsin. Both pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges.
“This sentence sends a strong message that threatening and intimidating people because of their religion, race or ethnic characteristics will not be tolerated in this country,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.
“White supremacist-fueled violence is a stain on our history and perpetrators of such violence will be held accountable,” Clarke added.
According to court documents, Weeden, Tobin and Barasneh — who were members of the White supremacist group The Base — used an encrypted messaging platform to discuss vandalizing property associated with Black and Jewish Americans.
The Justice Department said Weeden and his co-conspirators called their plan “Operation Kristallnacht,” which means “Night of Broken Glass” in reference to events in 1938 when Nazis murdered Jews and destroyed their homes, businesses, schools and synagogues.
Days later, Weeden spray-painted swastikas and other symbols associated with the White supremacist group on the walls of Temple Jacob in Hancock, according to court documents.
“Accountability matters,” said Special Agent in Charge James Deir of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Detroit.
“Today’s sentence is representative of our community’s views on hate crime-inspired violence. People who engage in this behavior will be identified and fully prosecuted by the law.”
