A former Riverside resident who shot two Jewish men after they left synagogues in the Pico-Robertson district last year less than 24 hours apart was sentenced on Monday, Sept. 30, to 35 years in federal prison.
“After years of spewing antisemitic vitriol, the defendant planned and carried out a two-day attack attempting to murder Jews leaving synagogue in Los Angeles,” 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.”
Jaime Tran, 30, pleaded guilty in June in downtown Los Angeles to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of using, carrying and discharging a firearm related to violence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Both victims survived.
Tran admitted espousing antisemitic beliefs and making violent threats toward Jewish people. For example, in 2018, he left dental school after making hate-filled statements about other students who he perceived to be Jewish.
From August to December 2022, Tran’s antisemitic statements escalated and he used increasingly violent language, including against a former classmate who he repeatedly called and texted with messages such as “I want you dead, Jew,” “Someone is going to kill you, Jew,” and “Burn in an oven chamber,” according to his plea agreement filed in Los Angeles federal court.
In November 2022, Tran emailed two dozen former classmates a flyer containing antisemitic propaganda, including a statement blaming the COVID-19 pandemic on a Jewish conspiracy.
As a result of previous mental-health holds, Tran was prohibited from purchasing firearms. In January 2023 in Phoenix, Tran asked someone to buy two firearms for him. Tran selected the firearms and paid $1,500 in cash to the person, who then purchased them, prosecutors said.
Tran acknowledged that on the morning of Feb. 15, 2023, he used the internet to research locations with a “kosher market,” and planned to shoot someone near such a market because he believed there would be Jewish people in the area.
Tran drove to Pico-Robertson and shot at close range a Jewish victim wearing a yarmulke as he was leaving a synagogue.
The next morning, Tran returned to the area, and shot at close range a second Jewish victim, also wearing a yarmulke and leaving a synagogue.
Tran was arrested for following morning.
“We thank the LAPD, FBI, and the United States Attorney’s Office, whose joint efforts led to today’s result,” the Jewish Federation Los Angeles said in a statement. “Our community appreciates the swift filing of federal charges, thorough investigation, and successful prosecution of this hate crime. We hope today’s decision helps to bring closure to the victims and their families and makes our broader Jewish community feel protected.”