A federal judge sentenced Jaime Tran, 30, formerly of Riverside, California, to 35 years in prison Monday for attempting to murder two Jewish men outside Los Angeles synagogues in February 2023, in what authorities described as a hate-motivated attack.
Tran pleaded guilty on June 3 to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of using, carrying, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement, “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.”
According to court documents, Tran’s antisemitic behavior escalated over several years. In 2018, he left graduate school after making antisemitic comments about other students. From August to December 2022, he sent increasingly violent messages to former classmates, including threats like “I want you dead, Jew.”
Despite being prohibited from purchasing firearms due to previous mental health holds, Tran acquired two firearms in January 2023 through a third party in Phoenix, who has since pleaded guilty to the illegal sale.
On February 15 and 16, 2023, Tran shot and wounded two Jewish men wearing yarmulkes as they left synagogues in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles. Both victims survived the attacks.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California stated, “We hope the sentence imposed today sends a strong message to all in our community that we will not tolerate antisemitism and hate of any sort.”
The FBI and Los Angeles Police Department led the investigation, with assistance from several other California law enforcement agencies.
