BROOKLYN (LN) — Dan Sohail pleaded guilty Wednesday to damaging religious property by repeatedly crashing his car into the entrance of the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn. U.S. District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano presided over the proceeding. When sentenced, Sohail faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison and mandatory restitution.
According to court filings and statements made during the plea hearing, on the evening of Jan. 28, Sohail drove to the Chabad Headquarters located on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. The Chabad Headquarters was hosting an event marking the anniversary of the death of the movement’s leader. After arriving entrance of the building, Sohail exited his vehicle and moved barriers that had been set up to protect the building, which includes a synagogue and religious gathering spaces. After gesturing for congregants to move away, Sohail returned to his vehicle and drove his car into the building’s side entrance. He then reversed his vehicle and accelerated into the entrance four additional times, knocking the entrance door off its hinges.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said, “The defendant’s dangerous conduct was a targeted attack on the religious liberty and peace of worship to which every American is entitled.” She added, “Today’s conviction sends a clear message: the Department of Justice will not tolerate acts of hatred and violence against religious institutions.”
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said, “By pleading guilty today, the defendant admitted that he intentionally damaged the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters, a globally significant Jewish religious institution, by repeatedly crashing his vehicle into the building’s entrance.”
Nocella added, “At a time when acts of violence directed at Jewish institutions have dramatically increased, this prosecution underscores our Office’s commitment to ensuring that worshippers can gather safely and those who threaten religious institutions will be held accountable.”
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights and General Crimes Sections. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Silverberg for the Eastern District of New York and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brachah Goykadosh are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Marlane Bosler.