East Meadow man sentenced to felony hate crime after defacing Jewish center with antisemitic graffiti
Mineola, NY – A 23-year-old man who scrawled antisemitic messages on fences and in front of a Long Island synagogue has been sentenced to four years’ probation after failing to complete court-ordered bias prevention training and community service.
Sebastian Patino Caceres of East Meadow was convicted of felony Criminal Mischief as a Hate Crime on Friday, November 7, after he failed to meet the terms of a conditional plea deal entered in January.
The charges stem from an April 2024 incident in which Patino Caceres used spray paint to vandalize several private fences on Merrick Avenue and the sidewalk in front of the East Meadow Beth-El Jewish Center with inflammatory antisemitic and anti-Israel phrases, including “Zionism is Nazism,” “Stop the Genocide,” “Free Palestine,” and “F-ck Israel.” One of the defaced fences displayed a mural honoring Israeli citizens taken hostage by Hamas in October 2023.
He was arrested on April 16, 2024, by Nassau County Police Department’s First Squad detectives.
As part of his original plea agreement, Patino Caceres was ordered to complete six months of bias prevention training, 100 hours of community service, and a guided visit to the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center (HMTC) in Glen Cove. Successful completion would have resulted in a reduced misdemeanor conviction and lighter sentence.
According to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, Patino Caceres failed to comply. He attended the HMTC tour but was described by staff as closed-minded and unremorseful. He completed just one bias prevention session and failed to fulfill his community service obligations.
DA Donnelly said the defendant’s lack of remorse and repeated excuses were clear to the court, which upheld the original felony charge and sentenced him to four years of probation under that conviction.
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Key Points
- Sebastian Patino Caceres was sentenced to four years’ probation for felony hate crime vandalism
- He spray-painted antisemitic phrases on private fences and outside a Jewish center in April 2024
- The defendant failed to complete court-ordered bias training and community service as part of a prior plea deal