New Jersey: Man admitted committing a series of violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish community

An Ocean County, New Jersey, man today admitted committing a series of violent assaults on members of the Orthodox Jewish community in and around Lakewood, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced - reports the Department of Justice.

Dion Marsh, a 29-year-old Manchester, New Jersey resident, entered a guilty plea in the Trenton federal court before U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi. He faced charges under information that included five counts of breaching the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, along with a single count of carjacking. Marsh is accused of intentionally inflicting bodily harm on five individuals and attempting to kill and injure four of them using dangerous weapons motivated by their Jewish identity.

- This 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. Today, 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 - we can read in the U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger's statement.

The prosecutor points out, "The threat of hate-motivated violence is a sad reality throughout our state and nation". - That hate is not who we are. We are stronger as a people because our civil rights must be respected and protected no matter what we look like, how we worship, where we come from, or who we love. My office has no higher priority than protecting the civil rights of our New Jersey residents - argues Sellinger.

Marsh's sentencing for the federal charges is set for June 11. Additionally, he is awaiting sentencing for state charges to which he pleaded guilty last week.

Source: Department of Justice