SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — A Camden County man has admitted to conspiring with members of a white supremacist hate group to threaten and intimidate African-Americans and Jews around the country.
Richard Tobin, 19, of Brooklawn, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges Friday before a U.S district judge in Camden for his role in vandalizing minority-owned properties throughout the country almost more than a year ago.
According to court documents, Tobin admitted that from Sept. 15 to 23, 2019, he was a member of a white supremacist group called The Base. He is said to have communicated online with other members, directing them to destroy and vandalize properties affiliated with Black and Jewish Americans in Michigan and Wisconsin.
On Sept. 21, 2019, members of the group vandalized synagogues in Michigan and Wisconsin by spraypainting the buildings with hate symbols.
Tobin dubbed the attacks “Kristallnacht,” meaning “Night of Broken Glass,” which refers to the 1938 attack in Germany where Nazis murdered Jews and burned their homes, stores, schools and synagogues.
The conspiracy charge could carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for June 28.