Texas man pleads guilty to hate crime and arson charges in Austin synagogue fire

A Texas man on Friday pleaded guilty to hate crime and arson charges for setting a fire at an Austin synagogue last year, the Department of Justice said in a news release.

Franklin Barrett Sechriest, 19, of San Marcos, faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 23.

The Oct. 31 fire at Congregation Beth Israel caused damage estimated at around $400,000, the synagogue told KXAN. Austin Fire Department officials initially estimated the damage to be around $25,000.

According to Sechriest’s journals, he drove to the synagogue’s parking lot to “scout out a target.” He admitted that he targeted the synagogue because of his hatred of Jews, and his writings contained virulent views. He also possessed several decals and stickers expressing antisemitic messages.

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On the night of the arson, Sechriest was captured on surveillance video carrying a five-gallon container and toilet paper toward the synagogue’s sanctuary, and moments later surveillance captured the glow of a fire from the direction of the sanctuary, authorities said.

A security camera captured Sechriest jogging away from the direction of the fire and toward the open driver’s side door of a vehicle.

The Austin Fire Department responded quickly and extinguished the blaze after a resident reported it.

In a journal entry dated on the day of the blaze, Sechriest wrote: “I set a synagogue on fire” and in the following days his journal entries noted that he was actively monitoring media reports to track the progress of the investigation.

“Antisemitism has no place in our society, and hate-fueled violence will not be tolerated,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“By targeting a house of worship, the defendant attempted to intimidate and disrupt the Jewish community. The Department of Justice is committed to aggressively prosecuting antisemitic violence and will continue to hold accountable the people responsible for these deplorable incidents.”

Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Kelly Levy, in the immediate aftermath of the blaze, issued a statement acknowledging that “this is sadly not the first time our community has faced anti-Semitism and discrimination. It’s not the first time the Austin interfaith community has come together to support one another, to speak out against hatred, and to diminish the voices of those who are
working to divide us.”

“As a native Texan, this hatred breaks my heart. But we are in this together. We will be persistent, compassionate, and resolute, because our love for humanity strengthens our resistance to hatred. We will be ok. We know this rise in anti-Semitism and acts of violence in our community will not deter our spirit, that we will continue to flourish and thrive. And the support we’ve received allows us to come together, united and able to push forward.

“We call on our public officials and candidates at all levels to call out religious hatred of any kind, including distancing themselves from supporters who fuel this hatred. These incidents will not be tolerated in our city.”