A Brooklyn man has been sentenced for hate-crime charges in a brutal 2018 attack on a Jewish man walking home from his synagogue.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Donald Leo sentenced James Vincent, 44, to 11 years in prison a little more than a month after a jury found Vincent guilty of strangulation as a hate crime and assault as a hate crime, among other charges.
On April 21, 2018, Menachem Moskowitz was walking home in East Flatbush when he was attacked. Prosecutors say Vincent shouted antisemitic slurs at Moskowitz, choked him and hit him in the head. Moskowitz suffered a black eye and broken rib.
Two bystanders intervened and Vincent fled. He was arrested a few days later -- identified after buying ice cream in a nearby store with a payment card bearing his name.
“This was a frightening and unprovoked attack that left an innocent man terrorized. We will not tolerate bias-motivated crimes in Brooklyn, where we pride ourselves on the diversity of our neighbors," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a news release.
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"I hope that this sentence sends the message that my Office will pursue and bring to justice those who target our community members with hate-fueled violence," he added.
