For a federal hate crime, a 78-year-old Massachusetts man was given an 18-month prison sentence Wednesday and three years of supervised release, officials stated.
On April 3, John Sullivan entered a guilty plea to willfully using a dangerous weapon (a vehicle) to inflict bodily harm on a victim known only by his initials, G.N., because of G.N.’s national origin.
According to court documents, Sullivan encountered G.N., a Vietnamese man, and a group of Asian Americans outside a post office. Sullivan had never met them before.
In front of the group’s three children, all under 12, he yelled, “Go back to China,” and threatened to kill them. He pointed at various members, including two of the children, and said, “I’m going to kill you.” Sullivan then twice drove his car into G.N., causing him to land on the hood and remain there while the car moved about 200 feet with traffic.
When Sullivan stopped, G.N. fell into a construction ditch, suffering injuries and pain.
The Boston Globe reported that Sullivan then allegedly fled the scene, the DA’s office said at the time. Ngo suffered a broken shoulder, a concussion, and an injury to his leg.
“A run of the mill trip to the post office turned into a nightmare for this Vietnamese man when John Sullivan decided to target him because of the color of his skin and the country of his ancestors. There is no way to undo the damage Mr. Sullivan caused with his hateful, repulsive and violent behavior, but hopefully today’s sentence provides some measure of comfort,” said Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Boston Field Office. “All communities in our Commonwealth – deserve respect and the ability to live, work, and raise their children without fear. We encourage anyone who has been the victim of or witness to a hate crime to report it to the FBI.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey Cummings for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney Tara Allison of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division pro