Man Accused of Defiling Jewish Artifacts Facing Federal Charge
JACKSON, Tenn. – A Jackson man accused of defiling several Jewish artifacts is now facing a federal charge. According to the U.S. Attorney‘s Office, Justin Shawn Baker, 25, is accused of violating the civil rights of students and faculty of the Margolin Hebrew Academy. The indictment alleges that on or about January 12, 2013, Baker defaced a Torah and religious prayer books, which the students and faculty of Memphis‘ Margolin Hebrew Academy were using for a worship service conducted at the Doubletree Hotel in Jackson. “Freedom to practice one‘s religion without prejudice is one of the bedrock principles upon which our nation was founded,” said Edward L. Stanton III, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. “Criminal acts such as those alleged in the indictment represent an attack upon the rights that generations of Americans have fought and died to ensure and protect. Our dedicated civil rights unit will continue to protect and defend the rights of our citizens through vigorous enforcement of federal law.” Baker is facing a state charge of vandalism between $60,000 and $250,000 which is a Class B felony. Jackson police said they believed the crime was specifically directed at the objects representing the Jewish faith. “This kind of vandalism strikes at the heart of religious freedom in this country, and it will not be tolerated,” said Roy L. Austin Jr., Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “Our nation‘s civil rights laws protect all denominations, and those who would strike at the right of peaceful citizens to worship will be held accountable.” This case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Larry Laurenzi and Jonathan Skrmetti of the U.S. Attorney‘s Office for the Western District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Douglas Kern of the Civil Rights Division‘s Criminal Section.
