Former California Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Attempting to Murder Two Jewish Men Leaving Los Angeles Synagogues Last Year

Monday, September 30, 2024

Office of Public Affairs

A former California man who shot and wounded two Jewish men last year as they left religious services in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles was sentenced today to 35 years in prison.

Jaime Tran, 30, formerly of Riverside, 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.

“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,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “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. As millions of Jewish Americans prepare to observe the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Justice Department reaffirms its commitment to aggressively confronting, disrupting, and prosecuting criminal acts motivated by antisemitism, or by hatred of any kind. No Jewish person in America should have to fear that any sign of their identity will make them the victim of a hate crime.”

“Targeting people for death based solely on their religious and ethnic background brings back memories of the darkest chapters in human history,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “Such hate-fueled violence has no place in America. 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. For those who engage in hate crimes, the punishment will be severe.”

“This country was founded by many who fought for religious freedom, and practicing our religion continues to be a sacred and fundamental right,” said Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI will always defend that constitutional right. Those who violate the First Amendment by violent acts, those who would target the innocent based on hatred, will be held accountable.”

“While this sentencing cannot fully restore the sense of safety stolen from the two victims and the Jewish community, it is a decisive step towards justice and a clear message that such acts of hate and violence will not be tolerated,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi.

According to the government’s sentencing submission, Tran obsessed over his antisemitic hatred for years leading up to the attack. In 2018, Tran left graduate school after making antisemitic comments about other students. From August 2022 to December 2022, Tran’s antisemitic statements escalated and included increasingly violent language, including messages to former classmates such as “I want you dead, Jew,” and “Someone is going to kill you, Jew.” Tran described himself as a “ticking time bomb” and maintained social media accounts with the handle “k1llalljews.”

In November 2022, Tran emailed two dozen former classmates a flyer containing antisemitic propaganda, including the statement, “EVERY SINGLE ASPECT OF THE COVID AGENDA IS JEWISH.” The following month, Tran emailed his former classmates excerpts from an antisemitic website further denigrating Jewish persons.

As a result of previous mental health holds, as of 2023, Tran was prohibited from purchasing firearms. In January 2023, in Phoenix, Tran asked a third party to buy two firearms for him. Tran selected the firearms he wanted and paid approximately $1,500 in cash to the third party, who then purchased them. Law enforcement identified the third party, who has now pleaded guilty in Arizona to illegally selling Tran the firearm used in the shootings. Messages later retrieved from his phone reflected that defendant had asked multiple people to purchase firearms for him and had offered to pay more if no background check was performed.

In early February 2023, Tran sent an online message stating: “it’s time to kill all Jews.” On the morning of Feb. 15, 2023, Tran used the internet to research locations with a “kosher market,” planning to shoot someone near a kosher market because he believed there would be Jewish people in the area. Tran drove to Pico-Robertson and shot a Jewish victim wearing a yarmulke as he was leaving religious services at a synagogue. Tran, believing the victim was Jewish, shot him at close range centimeters from his spine, intending to kill him. Tran then fled the scene in his car.

The next morning, Feb. 16, 2023, Tran returned to the Pico-Robertson area, intending to shoot another Jewish person. Tran shot a second Jewish victim, also wearing a yarmulke and leaving a synagogue after attending religious services. Tran shot the victim at close range, intending to kill him, as the victim crossed the street. Tran again fled the scene.

Both victims survived the attacks. Law enforcement arrested Tran on Feb. 17, 2023, after a witness reported seeing someone shooting a firearm behind a motel. When he was arrested, Tran told law enforcement that he was “practicing” with his assault weapon. In its sentencing position, the government argued that “[h]ad defendant not been caught the night of his second shooting, his campaign of terror would likely have continued.”

The FBI and Los Angeles Police Department investigated the case. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Cathedral City Police Department, Fountain Valley Police Department, Beverly Hills Police Department, and UCLA Police Department, all in California, provided substantial assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathrynne N. Seiden and Frances S. Lewis for the Central District of California prosecuted the case.

Updated September 30, 2024