Jacob Beacher, 24, has pleaded guilty to committing a federal hate crime after a destructive break-in to an Islamic Student Center at Rutgers University during the Muslim holiday, Eid Al-Fitr, NJ.com reported.
Beacher could face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for February of next year.
His initial charge included “single counts of intentional or attempted obstruction of religious practice and making false statements to federal authorities,” which stemmed from a break-in earlier this year as reported by AsAmNews.
On Thursday, prosecutors say the North Plainfield, NJ native broke into the religious center around 2:41 a.m. on April 10th, stealing the Palestinian flag and causing an estimated $19,000 in damage to the religious artifacts. The estimate comes after an initial calculation of $40,000.
Artifacts damaged included items containing the holy language from the Quran, Islam’s sacred scripture, and Turbah prayer stones. Along with the Palestinian flag, authorities say he stole the charity box belonging to the center.
According to the affidavit, a few days after the break-in, Beacher confirmed with investigators he was the person seen in the footage but denied having broken into the building.
“This defendant is being held accountable for Islamophobic-fueled acts of hate, interfering with the religious freedom of university students and staff during a sacred holiday for those of the Islamic faith,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a statement.
This guilty plea comes days after the anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, in which a heavy war ensued. Many student protests around the country were in effect around the time of Beacher’s incident due to the conflict, including an encampment at Rutgers soon after.
In an emailed statement sent by Rutgers spokeswoman Megan Schumann back in April, the university “condemns this act of violence against the Rutgers-New Brunswick Muslim community and the desecration of a religious and community space.”
The episode at Rutger’s Islamic Center reflects a wave in anti-Muslim complaints, as reported by the Council on American Islamic Relations of New Jersey through the first half of 2024. In addition, New Jersey’s state attorney general reported a climb of 22% in bias incidents from last year.
In an interview with AP, Attorney General Matt Platkin said, “We’re seeing a real rise in bias and hate in the state. It’s not something we take lightly. And we’re using every available tool to prevent it.”
The Islamic Student Center at Rutgers said in a statement in April, “This incident did not occur in a vacuum,” adding that “this incident is representative of a bigger issue — the dehumanization of Palestinian lives and voices abroad and locally.”
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