Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 16, 2021

SPRINGFIELD An East Longmeadow man was convicted of two federal criminal counts linked to an attempted arson of a Jewish elder care complex in 2020.

John Rathbun began standing trial for the second time in U.S. District Court last week. He was convicted of transporting an explosive and attempting to destroy property using fire.

Earlier this year, a jury deadlocked and Judge Mark Mastroianni was forced to declare a mistrial.

Prosecutors argued Rathbun, 38, filled a plastic container with gas, stuffed a Christian church pamphlet in its spout and lit it on fire at the base of the Jewish Geriatric Services campus in Longmeadow. The wick flared out before the device could cause any damage, police said.

Federal investigators first theory was that Rathbun was a white supremacist, but that fizzled when there was no direct evidence to link him to white supremacy websites. Prosecutors then argued Rathbun was an unemployed drug addict in a spiral who acted out against the Jewish facility.

He faces at least a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence at a hearing Nov. 12. While Rathbun had been living at a halfway house offering substance abuse treatment, he was remanded back to prison after his conviction.

Go here to read the rest:

John Rathbun of East Longmeadow convicted of attempting to burn Jewish elder care campus after 2nd trial - MassLive.com

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