A Texas man was sentenced to 10 years in prison plus three years of supervised release on Wednesday for attempting to burn down a synagogue in an anti-Semitic attack.
Franklin Sechriest, a 19-year-old resident of San Marcos, pleaded guilty to arson and hate crimes charges in April, stemming from a 2021 crime in which he tried to burn down the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Austin, which dates back to 1876.
In addition to the prison time and supervised release, he must pay the Jewish congregation $470,000 in restitution.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement that Sechriest is “being held accountable …”