California neo-Nazi hit with felony hate crime charges for anti-gay attack on neighbor

A California man associated with a neo-Nazi group was charged with a hate crime for attacking his neighbor.

Robert Frank Wilson, of Chula Vista, allegedly used his vehicle to block his neighbor's driveway on Nov. 10 before getting out to shout homophobic slurs and then reach into the other man's vehicle and punch him in the face, reported The San Diego Union-Tribune.

"Prosecutors charged Wilson with felony battery because they say he committed the crime specifically because of the victim’s protected status — in this case, his sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation," the newspaper reported. "Prosecutors must prove a hate crime by showing it was motivated by prejudice against the victim’s race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability."

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San Diego police also cited the 40-year-old Wilson for allegedly working with other members of the so-called “Goyim Defense League (GDL)” to hang an antisemitic banner on an interstate overpass, which prosecutors plan to include with the battery charge and hate-crime allegation.

The GDL is a neo-Nazi group that pushes Holocaust denial and blames Jews for the coronavirus pandemic, and its members targeted private homes in at least eight states in recent weeks.

If convicted, Wilson faces a maximum prison sentence of three years and six months.

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