Texas Synagogue Arsonist Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

Franklin Sechriest, who pleaded guilty to arson and a hate crime, was also ordered to pay $470,000 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release.

Franklin Sechriest, a 20-year-old Texas man, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for setting fire to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Austin, Texas, in an antisemitic attack.
Sechriest, who pleaded guilty to arson and a hate crime causing damage to religious property, was also ordered to pay $470,000 in restitution to the synagogue and to serve an additional three years of supervised release after his prison term.
Federal investigators found that Sechriest had written racist and antisemitic journal entries before the attack, including one that read 'I set a synagogue on fire.'
Sechriest's lawyer argued that his client, diagnosed with autism and suffering from mental illness, was vulnerable to being 'groomed' and 'radicalized' online by hate groups.
The arson damaged the synagogue’s 'communal identity' of being welcoming to the public, according to members of Congregation Beth Israel.

U.S. Department of Justice