New Hampshire man faces charges for smashing synagogue lamps

A New Hampshire man is facing two civil rights violations for smashing the lanterns at a Portsmouth synagogue, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella announced.

Kevin O’Leary, 31, is accused of smashing two Star of David glass decorative lanterns at the entrance of the Temple Israel synagogue on April 8.

Formella’s office alleged that O’Leary came ready with a hammer to destroy the objects, which contained the symbols of the Jewish community, and that he was motivated by a combination of religious, national origin, and ancestry discrimination.

Interfering with the right to worship

“These acts interfered with the rights and lawful activities of the victims, Temple Israel, and its congregants because the acts interfered with their right to worship freely and display symbols of their faith,” said the New Hampshire Justice Department.

If convicted, O’Leary could face a maximum penalty of $5,000 for each violation and a court restraint from committing civil rights violating or hate-motivated conduct for three years. Formella’s office also asked the court to implement a preliminary restraining order to protect the Temple Israel congregants.

O’Leary turned himself in to law enforcement on April 19 after an arrest warrant for criminal mischief and hate-motivated criminal mischief was issued on April 9, according to the Portsmouth Police Department.

In March, the Formella announced a consent decree with Loren Faulkner for the vandalization of Temple Israel and other businesses, residences, and houses of worship in the city in recent years.

Faulkner had allegedly spray-painted swastikas on other symbols on Temple Israel, a church, a cafe, a tattoo parlor, and 14 other sites in February 2023. He was said to have vandalized signs and murals expressing support for minority groups and destroyed a church’s LGBTQ flag.

In April 2022, he allegedly defaced a monastic lodge with antisemitic and homophobic graffiti and stole an LGBTQ pride flag at a residence and church. Faulkner also reportedly stole a Ukrainian flag and burned it while denouncing the country and its people in a video he sent to his class at Portsmouth High School.

The Portsmouth Police Department opened an investigation into Faulkner’s alleged activities in February 2023, and in April 2023 Faulkner turned himself in after an arrest warrant for 31 counts of criminal mischief and hate-motivated criminal mischief was issued.

Formella and Portsmouth Police Chief Mark Newport announced an enforcement action for 22 counts of civil rights violations in April of last year, and in March of this year, Faulkner consented to a decree that he would pay $2,500 in civil penalties with another $47,500 if he did not comply with the all of the decree.

He would have to undergo a behavior assessment and participate in counseling, engage in education, vocational training, or employment, and complete 200 hours of community service. Faulkner was restrained from coming within 250 feet of Temple Israel and the other locations he had targeted or contacting them.

“This consent decree provides another representation of the Attorney General’s Office’s commitment to ensuring that in the ‘Live Free or Die’ State, everyone has the opportunity to live and worship freely, without fear of hate-motivated conduct,’ Formella said in March.