The Department of Justice (DOJ) today charged Dion Marsh with federal hate crimes just ten days after Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) asked the DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate whether antisemitism was a motive in Marsh’s recent violence spree against members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Lakewood and Jackson.

            The federal charges include one count of carjacking and four counts of violating 18 U.S. Code § 249—the federal statute that Smith specifically asked the DOJ to consider for possible violations in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray last week.

“The federal hate crime charges brought against Dion Marsh are a chilling reminder of the ugly reality that antisemitism won’t go away by ignoring or wishing it away. It must be defeated,” said Rep. Smith, who co-chairs the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism.

            “Tragically, attacks like the one we recently witnessed are reflective of the historically high levels of hatred directed at Jews across the United States and throughout the world,” said Smith.

             “We must firmly commit to exposing and extinguishing this pernicious hatred in all its evil forms,” said Smith. “There must be zero tolerance at every level for hate-fueled crimes against members of the Orthodox Jewish community.”

            Earlier this month, coinciding with the eve of the Jewish Sabbath, Dion Marsh went on a crime spree apparently targeting members of the Jewish community in Lakewood and Jackson, which allegedly included carjacking, running over pedestrians and spewing antisemitic slurs.

            “As we fight for justice, we continue to pray that the victims fully recover from this hideous assault,” Smith said.

            According to the FBI, 55 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes in 2020 were against Jews, who comprise approximately only 2.4 percent of the U.S. adult population.

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