Maryland man pleads guilty to vandalizing Jewish cemetery, filming himself spray-painting swastikas
The cemetery had previously been targeted in an antisemitic attack in 2021, when swastikas were spray-painted on more than a dozen gravestones.
George Horne, a 36-year-old man from Dundalk, Maryland, pleaded guilty in federal court to vandalizing twelve gravestones at the historic Ohr Knesseth Israel Anshe Sfard Cemetery, which is located outside Baltimore and serves the local Jewish community. Horne spray-painted swastikas and other antisemitic symbols on the gravestones, allegedly due to the cemetery's Jewish identity.
The plea agreement revealed that Horne had previously exchanged racist messages and shared Nazi memorabilia before the attack. Investigators found a video recording of Horne committing the vandalism, which showed his tattooed hand spray-painting a swastika onto a gravestone. Horne's distinctive tattoo on the back of his hand was matched to a tattoo on his own hand, connecting him to the attack.
The FBI and the Baltimore County Police Department investigated the incident, and the US Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case. The offense carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison, with sentencing set for mid-January.
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