Ex-Riverside man gets 35 years in prison for shooting two Jewish men in West Los Angeles – Orange County Register

A former Riverside resident who shot two Jewish men last year after they left synagogues in Pico-Robertson County less than 24 hours apart was sentenced Monday, Sept. 30, to 35 years in federal prison.

“After spewing anti-Semitic vitriol for years, the defendant planned and carried out a two-day attack that attempted to murder Jews leaving the synagogue in Los Angeles,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. “Heinous acts of anti-Semitic hatred endanger the safety of individuals and entire communities, and when such crimes go unchecked, we endanger the very foundation of our democracy.”

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 30-year-old Jaime Tran pleaded guilty in June in downtown Los Angeles to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of using, carrying and discharging a firearm in connection with violence.

Both victims survived.

Tran admitted to holding anti-Semitic beliefs and making violent threats to Jewish people. For example, he left dental school in 2018 after making hateful statements about other students he viewed as Jews.

From August to December 2022, Tran’s anti-Semitic comments escalated and he used increasingly violent language, including against a former classmate whom he repeatedly called and texted with messages such as “I want you dead, Jude” or “Someone is going to kill you, Jude.” ” and “Burn in a furnace chamber,” according to his plea agreement filed in federal court in Los Angeles.

In November 2022, Tran emailed two dozen former classmates a flyer containing anti-Semitic propaganda, including a statement blaming a Jewish conspiracy for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to previous prison sentences for mental illness, Tran was prohibited from purchasing firearms. In January 2023, Tran asked someone in Phoenix to buy two firearms for him. Tran selected the firearms and paid $1,500 in cash to the person who then purchased them, prosecutors said.

Tran admitted that on the morning of February 15, 2023, he used the Internet to research locations with a “kosher market” and planned to shoot someone near such a market because he believed it was in the area would give to Jews.

Tran drove to Pico-Robertson and shot at close range a Jewish victim wearing a yarmulke as he left a synagogue.

The next morning, Tran returned to the area and shot at close range a second Jewish victim who was also wearing a yarmulke and was leaving a synagogue.

Tran was arrested the next morning.

“We thank the LAPD, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, whose combined efforts led to today’s outcome,” the Jewish Federation Los Angeles said in a statement. “Our community appreciates the prompt filing of federal charges, thorough investigation and successful prosecution of this hate crime. We hope today’s decision will help bring closure to the victims and their families and help our broader Jewish community feel protected.”

Originally published: September 30, 2024 at 12:17 p.m