{"id":55422,"date":"2024-02-01T17:20:11","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T01:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=55422"},"modified":"2024-02-01T17:20:11","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T01:20:11","slug":"n-j-man-admits-to-a-series-of-violent-assaults-against-members-of-the-orthodox-jewish-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=55422","title":{"rendered":"N.J. Man Admits to a Series of Violent Assaults Against Members of the Orthodox Jewish Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Thursday to committing a series of bias-motivated violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish community in and around Lakewood, New Jersey, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Feb. 1, Dion Marsh, 29, of Manchester, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in federal court.\u00a0 He is charged with five counts of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and one count of carjacking, according to authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marsh is charged with willfully causing bodily injury to five victims and attempting to kill and cause injuries with dangerous weapons to four of the victims because they are Jewish.<\/span><\/p>\n

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 11. Marsh is facing life in prison when he is sentenced, prosecuters stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis defendant is being held accountable for his series of depraved, antisemitic assaults against members of the Orthodox Jewish community,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Rights Division. \u201cHate-filled acts of violence, intended to harm, intimidate and isolate communities, have no place in our society. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute perpetrators of antisemitic violence across our country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"brown\u201cThis defendant violently attacked five men, driving a car into four of them, stabbing one of them in the chest, and attempting to kill them, simply because they were visibly identifiable as Orthodox Jews,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. \u201cToday, he pleaded guilty to these hate crimes and a carjacking, and my office will ask the judge to impose a sentence that holds Marsh accountable for his brutal and hate filled rampage.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Adding, “The threat from hate-fueled violence is a sad reality across our state and our nation. That hate is not who we are. We are stronger as a people because no matter what you look like, how you worship, where you come from, or who you love, your civil rights must be respected and protected. My office has no higher priority than protecting the civil rights of our New Jersey residents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cWe have said time and again as we investigate a significant rise in hate crimes, hating someone isn\u2019t a crime, but hating someone and then attacking them based on that hate is a violation of federal law,\u201d said Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy of the FBI Newark Field Office. \u201cMarsh admits he targeted five innocent people in 2022 because they were Orthodox Jews. Personal beliefs don\u2019t give someone the right to attack and attempt to kill another human being because they may not ascribe to a similar religion or way of life. “<\/span><\/p>\n

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 8, 2022, Marsh carried out a series of violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish Community in and around Lakewood. <\/span><\/p>\n

Members of the Orthodox Jewish community were wearing traditional attire on each of Marsh’s victims. They were assaulted because they were visibly identifiable as Orthodox Jews.<\/span><\/p>\n