Perpetrators of September 2024 attack facing federal hate crime and obstruction of justice charges

The six perpetrators of an attack on a Jewish resident of Oakland in September 2024 have been federally charged with hate crimes, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice. 

On Monday morning, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the defendants were found by a federal grand jury to be in violation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act after committing violence against a Jewish male. 

The incident, which took place on Sept. 27, 2024, at around 2 a.m. on the corner of Semple and Ward Street, began when a group of males saw the victim’s Star of David necklace and began using antisemitic language before becoming violent. According to the indictment, the victim suffered a split lip and headaches as a result of the attack. 

The University issued a crime alert the next afternoon at around 2:11 p.m., with descriptions of three of the defendants. This was the second incident of violence against Jewish persons in Oakland within 30 days, the first having taken place on Aug. 30, 2024, on Pitt’s campus near the Cathedral of Learning. 

A university spokesperson confirmed that the University of Pittsburgh Police Department assisted the FBI in their investigation leading up to the indictment. 

“We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for their collaboration, which resulted in the arrests and arraignments announced today,” the spokesperson said. 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is quoted in the announcement, condemning the alleged religious motivation behind the attacks. 

“We will prosecute this alleged act of violent antisemitism to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi said. “This Department of Justice will always protect the First Amendment right to worship freely and without fear for Jewish Americans and all Americans of faith.”

The maximum sentence for the hate crime charges is 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The maximum for the obstruction of justice is five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. 

Further questions should be directed to the Pittsburgh FBI Office at (412) 432-4000.