Man arrested, charged in connection with antisemitic leaflets at Carmichael synagogue
A man has been arrested and charged in connection with a series of recent antisemitic hate crimes in Carmichael, sheriff’s officials and prosecutors said Wednesday.
Detectives on Wednesday morning arrested Nicholas Wayne Sherman, 33, accused in a string of “hate crime related incidents” occurring at multiple locations in Carmichael between Oct. 4 and Oct. 20, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office said in a joint statement.
District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced Sherman is being charged with one felony count of “desecrating a religious symbol on the property of the Shalom Le Israel synagogue in Carmichael,” according to a news release.
Sherman will also be charged with 12 misdemeanor counts of terrorism for allegedly placing Aryan Nation leaflets with swastikas on the doorsteps of Carmichael homes, and a 13th for allegedly placing similar leaflets at the Deterding Elementary School campus.
Rabbi Boris Tsiprush of Shalom le Israel Messianic Synagogue said in October that an elder from the synagogue, located on Fair Oaks Boulevard, was the first to spot leaflets with pictures of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler taped all over the menorah. She then informed the rabbi, who called the Sheriff’s Office.
Tsiprush said the leaflets also had “Hitler was right” and “Aryan Nations” printed on them. The rabbi said some members of the synagogue skipped Shabbat services, concerned about the potential for violence.
“All crimes hurt not just the victim, but the entire community. This is especially true of crimes motivated by hate,” Sheriff Scott Jones said in a prepared statement Wednesday.
Sheriff’s officials in early October said residents of at least 10 homes in the Carmichael Colony Neighborhood reported receiving a plastic food storage bag with rice inside and a leaflet that had a swastika and the words “Aryan Nation,” some of which were also found at the Deterding Elementary playground.
A criminal complaint was filed against Sherman in Sacramento Superior Court on Tuesday. Jail booking records as of 10 a.m. Wednesday did not show him in custody at the Sacramento County jail, and no court date has been set.
Schubert said the case will be prosecuted by the district attorney’s hate crimes unit.
