New Jersey Man Arrested for Planning Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes

A New Jersey man, 19 year-old Richard Tobin, was arrested for planning online campaigns of harassment and intimidation against Jewish communities and African-American by vandalizing properties with slurs and hate symbols.

He pled guilty before before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden federal court.

“Americans should never have to fear racist, antisemitic or any other form of bias-motivated violence,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. “This defendant encouraged hateful acts of violence against individuals and their houses of worship, based solely on their religion or the color of their skin.”

As a member of a far-right Neo-Nazi hate group, the young man urged his peers to leave hateful propaganda around and attack Jewish and African-American businesses and homes. Several members of the group vandalized shuls and Jewish community centers in Racine, Wisconsin, and Hancock, Michigan.

Tobin faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on charges of conspiracy against rights.

He was arrested after a joint investigation was undertaken by the FBI Philadelphia Division’s South Jersey Resident Agency, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security, the New Jersey State Police and the Camden County Police Department into the hate group.

“The FBI and our partners simply won’t tolerate crimes spurred by hate, which are meant to intimidate and isolate the groups targeted,” Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, said. “People of all races and faiths deserve to feel safe in their communities. Richard Tobin encouraged others to victimize innocent people, in furtherance of his abhorrent white supremacist beliefs. While we all have the right to believe whatever we want, when those views lead to violence, that’s a different and dangerous story.”

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smarcus@hamodia.com