Sept. 30 (UPI) — A California man with a history of anti-Semitic hate was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Monday for shooting two Jewish men at Los Angeles-area synagogues within a 24-hour period last year, federal prosecutors said.
Jaime Tran, 30, was sentenced after pleading guilty in early June to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two additional firearm charges related to a crime of violence.
“Vile acts of antisemitic hatred endanger the safety of individuals and entire communities, and allowing such crimes to go unchecked endangers the foundation of our democracy itself,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement .
“No Jewish person in America should have to fear that any sign of their identity will make them the victim of a hate crime.”
Tran’s charges and subsequent sentencing stem from two shootings targeting Jewish men leaving synagogues in mid-February 2023.
Authorities said the first shooting occurred Feb. 15 at about 9:55 a.m. in the 1400 block of Shenandoah Street, with the second shooting occurring at around 8:30 a.m. the next day in the nearby 1600 block of S. Bedford Street.