Pennsylvania
Hate Crime Statistics Case Examples News
DOJ Offices
Bias Motivation Categories by Year
Bias Motivation Category | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
---|---|---|---|
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry | 117 | 199 | 158 |
Religion | 19 | 41 | 82 |
Sexual Orientation | 25 | 46 | 38 |
Disability | 1 | 7 | 3 |
Gender | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Gender Identity | 0 | 3 | 15 |
Total: | 163 | 297 | 298 |
Types of Crime
Crimes Against Persons | 220 | 69.4% |
Crimes Against Property | 97 | 30.6% |
Crimes Against Society | 0 | 0.0% |
Bias Motivation Categories
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry | 158 | 53.0% |
Religion | 82 | 27.5% |
Sexual Orientation | 38 | 12.8% |
Disability | 3 | 1.0% |
Gender | 2 | 0.7% |
Gender Identity | 15 | 5.0% |
*2021 was the first year that the annual hate crimes statistics were reported entirely through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). As a result of the shift to NIBRS-only data collection, law enforcement agency participation in submitting all crime statistics, including hate crimes, fell significantly from 2020 to 2021.
Case Examples
A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for planning and carrying out hate crimes against residents of the in-patient health care facility where he worked. The residents had a range of severe physical, intellectual, and emotional disabilities, and required assistance with daily activities.
The defendant and his coworker planned a series of assaults, including punching and kicking disabled residents and rubbing hand sanitizer and mouth wash in their eyes. In one instance, the defendant admitted to jumping on top of a 13-year-old minor while the child was lying on his bed with the lights off, and his coworker recorded him. The co-defendants would send graphic text messages to each other, expressing hate toward the disabled residents, sharing photographs and videos of residents, writing about their abuse, and encouraging each other’s continued abuse of residents. They took advantage of their one-on-one access with the residents who could not defend themselves because of their disabilities.
The defendant pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. His co-defendant also pleaded guilty and was previously sentenced to 17 years in prison.
After two months of trial, a federal jury in Pittsburgh unanimously recommended that a Pennsylvania man be sentenced to death for killing 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, critically wounding seven others, including five responding police officers.
On October 27, 2018, the assailant entered the Tree of Life Synagogue during worship with multiple firearms and stated his desire to “kill Jews.” He shot and killed 11 congregants, injuring two other members of the congregation and five law enforcement officers. Evidence showed that the defendant meticulously planned his attack based on his violently antisemitic beliefs, reflected in dozens of online posts.
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/jury-recommends-sentence-death-pennsylvania-man-convicted-tree-life-synagogue-shooting
Additional Charges Filed: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/additional-charges-filed-tree-life-synagogue-shooting-0
A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for committing federal hate crimes and related offenses involving numerous severely disabled victims at a healthcare facility.
Residents at the facility have a range of severe disabilities and many need help with daily activities, like bathing, using the bathroom, eating, and dressing.
According to the plea, the defendant and a co-defendant texted each other about their hatred of the facility’s residents. The men allegedly punched and kicked residents, jumped on them, and sprayed irritants in their eyes and mouths. The men shared pictures and videos of their attacks on residents and encouraged each other’s further abuse of residents. They may have avoided detection because the victims were non-verbal and unable to report the abuse.
The case against the co-defendant remains pending, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-employee-beaver-county-health-care-facility-sentenced-17-years-prison-following
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-employee-beaver-county-health-care-facility-pleads-guilty-federal-hate-crime
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/former-employees-beaver-county-health-care-facility-indicted-federal-hate-crime-charges
A Leighton man has been charged with transmitting threats across state lines to cause bodily injury to another person.
The defendant allegedly used fake names online to post hundreds of anti-Semitic, anti-black, and anti-Muslim messages, images, and videos. Several of these posts, like the one charged in the complaint, included threats to various religious and racial groups. Other posts expressed a desire to commit genocide and “hate crimes,” and called for or depicted images of the killing of Jewish people, black people, and Muslim people”. On March 13, 2019, the defendant allegedly posted a digitally-created image of his arm and hand aiming an AR-15 rifle at a congregation of praying Jewish men, gathered in what appears to be a synagogue.
The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is 5 years of imprisonment for each violation, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/lehighton-man-charged-internet-threats
News
November 20, 2024
Two Pittsburgh Area Residents Indicted for Vandalizing Jewish Building
May 24, 2024
April 19, 2024
March 20, 2024
February 28, 2024
January 26, 2024
December 7, 2023
December 4, 2023
October 23, 2023
September 19, 2023
FBI Pittsburgh Encourages People to Report Hate Crimes
August 30, 2023
West Virginia Man Ordered Detained Following Federal Indictment
August 2, 2023
Jury Recommends Sentence of Death for Pennsylvania Man Convicted for Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting
June 5, 2023
March 13, 2023
January 27, 2023
November 18, 2022
U.S. Attorney for Middle District of Pennsylvania Launches United Against Hate Initiative
October 13, 2022
March 25, 2022
Former Employees of Pennsylvania Health Care Facility Indicted on Federal Hate Crime Charges
October 22, 2021
September 24, 2021
FBI Pittsburgh Encourages Western Pennsylvania to Report Hate Crimes
July 14, 2021
March 30, 2020
April 30, 2019
Ceremony Honors Western Pennsylvania Victims Rights’ Advocates
April 25, 2019
Benton Man Sentenced To 24 Months’ Imprisonment For Possessing Illegal Firearms
April 11, 2019
Lehighton Man Charged With Racist Internet Threats
January 29, 2019
Additional Charges Filed in Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting
November 13, 2018
November 7, 2018
Benton Man Charged With Illegal Machinegun Possession
October 31, 2018
October 29, 2018
U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady Remarks following Robert Bowers' Initial Appearance
October 27, 2018
Attorney General Sessions Delivered the Following Statement About Today’s Tragedy in Pittsburgh
August 21, 2018
"Tacony Dungeon" Defendant Jean McIntosh Sentenced to 40 Years Imprisonment
April 6, 2018
Bethel Park Man Sentenced for Violating the Federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act
November 28, 2017
Suburban Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime
March 16, 2017
Pennsylvania Man Indicted for Hate Crime Assault
February 23, 2017
Man Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced to Prison for Hate Crime at Downtown Pittsburgh T-Station
DOJ Offices
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| Philadelphia William J. Green, Jr. Building 600 Arch Street, 8th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19106 T: 215.418.4000 philadelphia.fbi.gov | Pittsburgh 3311 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15203 T: 412.432.4000 pittsburgh.fbi.gov |
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| Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) Middle District of Pennsylvania (Harrisburg) Western District of Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) |
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| Mid-Atlantic Regional Office 200 2nd & Chestnut Street Suite 208 Philadelphia, PA 19106 T: 215.597.2344 F: 215.597.9148 askcrs@usdoj.gov |