Jury Finds Texas Man Guilty of Aggravated Assault With Hate/Bias-Crime Enhancement

            WASHINGTON – Dylan Millhausen, 26, of Houston, Texas, has been found guilty by a jury of aggravated assault, with a hate-crime enhancement, for beating an Indian Sikh man two years ago in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

            The verdict was returned on Aug. 30, 2018, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  The jury added the bias-related enhancement relating to the targeting of the victim because of race, religion, or national origin. The charge of aggravated assault carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. With the enhancement, the statutory maximum increases to 15 years. The Honorable Ronna L. Beck scheduled sentencing for Nov. 30, 2018.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of Aug. 21, 2016, the victim, who wears a turban, was out with friends in an area south of Dupont Circle. The victim, then 27, had gone to a lounge with his business school friends. As they were leaving, at approximately 2:45 a.m., Millhausen - a complete stranger to the group - came up behind the victim, pulled off his turban, and punched him in the face until he was unconscious. The beating necessitated a hospital visit and diagnostic treatment.  

            Millhausen was quickly apprehended at the scene by officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Upon being apprehended by the police, the defendant told the police about his world view, likening the victim to Islamic extremists to whom terrorist attacks and plots in Europe had been attributed throughout 2016. 

            Following a short period of civilian custody in Washington, D.C., Millhausen was found guilty of unrelated charges by a military judge in court martial proceedings within the United States Air Force and sentenced to a period of further incarceration.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by law enforcement partners in the U.S. Marshals Service and United States Air Force.  She acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen; Victim/Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Paralegal Specialists Debra McPherson, Tamaya Reid, and Tierra Nanches, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sonali D. Patel, Puja Bhatia, and Ethan Carroll, who investigated and prosecuted the case.