Massachusetts
Please click the image/link below to download a fact sheet with detailed graphics and information on hate crimes reported to the FBI for Massachusetts in 2022.
Fast Facts on Massachusetts Hate Crime Incidents*
Bias Motivation Category | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry | 188 | 280 | 257 |
Religion | 69 | 84 | 98 |
Sexual Orientation | 51 | 82 | 94 |
Disability | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Gender | 2 | 5 | 5 |
Gender Identity | 11 | 10 | 23 |
Total: | 323 | 464 | 477 |
Crimes Against Persons | 363 | 69.1% |
Crimes Against Property | 162 | 30.9% |
Crimes Against Society | 0 | 0.0% |
Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry | 257 | 53.9% |
Religion | 98 | 20.5% |
Sexual Orientation | 94 | 19.7% |
Disability | 0 | 0.0% |
Gender | 5 | 1.0% |
Gender Identity | 23 | 4.8% |
*2021 was the first year that the annual hate crimes statistics were reported entirely through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). As a result of the shift to NIBRS-only data collection, law enforcement agency participation in submitting all crime statistics, including hate crimes, fell significantly from 2020 to 2021.
News
June 10, 2024
April 3, 2024
Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime Against Asian American Man
March 20, 2024
February 22, 2024
Texas Man Who Threatened Doctor Serving Transgender Patients Sentenced to Three Months in Prison
January 29, 2024
December 13, 2023
February 15, 2023
Massachusetts Man Charged with Federal Hate Crime
December 2, 2022
August 17, 2022
August 3, 2022
May 5, 2022
California Man Indicted for Threatening Merriam-Webster with Anti-LGBTQ Violence
April 22, 2022
California Man Arrested and Charged with Making Threats Against LGBTQ Community
February 16, 2022
February 10, 2022
Maine Man Indicted for Hate Crime Offenses Relating to Arson of MLK Church in Massachusetts
October 12, 2021
FBI Boston Launches Public Awareness Campaign to Encourage the Public to Report Hate Crimes
August 5, 2020
Rhode Island Man Sentenced for Threatening Massachusetts Professor
June 23, 2020
East Longmeadow Man Indicted on Charges of Attempted Arson at Longmeadow Senior Health Care Facility
April 15, 2020
East Longmeadow Man Charged with Attempted Arson at Longmeadow Assisted Living Residential Facility
Case Examples
A judge sentenced a Californian man to more than a year in prison for making anti-LGBTQ+ threats against the dictionary company Merriam-Webster, Inc., and others.
Between October 2 and October 8, 2021, the defendant made a series of threatening messages and comments. Some of the threats were about the word entries for “Girl” and “Woman”, and the defendant sent comments through the website threatening to bomb Merriam-Webster’s offices. These threats led Merriam-Webster to temporarily close its offices in Springfield, Massachusetts and New York City, New York.
The same online user made similar threats to others, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O’ Lakes, Hasbro, Inc., IGN Entertainment, the President of the University of North Texas, two professors at Loyola Marymount University, and a New York rabbi.
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/california-man-sentenced-threatening-merriam-webster-anti-lgbtq-violence
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/california-man-pleads-guilty-threatening-merriam-webster-anti-lgbtq-violence
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/california-man-accused-threatening-merriam-webster-anti-lgbtq-violence-indicted
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/california-man-arrested-and-charged-making-threats-against-lgbtq-community
A federal grand jury indicted a Texas man for threatening a Boston doctor because the doctor provided care for members of the transgender community.
The government alleges that misinformation spread online about procedures at Boston Children’s Hospital for gender nonconforming children. The defendant called the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center in Boston, and left a threatening voicemail targeting one of the Center’s doctors.
The defendant faces a sentence of up to five years of prison.
An indictment is a serious accusation. But the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/texas-man-indicted-threatening-doctor-affiliated-national-lgbtqia-health-education
A federal grand jury indicted a man for making false statements and concealing evidence in a domestic terrorism investigation.
The defendant’s brother was a suspect in four bias-motivated fires set in the Boston area. The fires damaged four Jewish-affiliated community centers and businesses.
In March 2020, federal investigators asked the man about his brother's personal property. The defendant allegedly misled investigators, lying about the location of evidence. Shortly after talking with investigators, the defendant fled the country. Allegedly, taking his brother’s electronic devices and papers with him to Sweden.
The defendant faces up to 8 years in prison for making false statements. He faces up to 20 years for concealing evidence.
An indictment is a serious accusation. A defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/massachusetts-man-indicted-obstructing-investigation-fires-jewish-affiliated-institutions
A federal grand jury indicted a Maine man for setting fire to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Massachusetts. The church serves a predominantly Black congregation.
The government alleges that the man is also responsible for a string of other crimes leading up to burning the church. Setting fires on the church’s property and a series of tire slashings. A search of the defendant’s vehicle and electronic devices revealed his hatred of Black people. His phone contained a recent message calling to “eliminate all N****s.”
The defendant faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 for using fire to damage religious property, and faces a sentence of at least 10 years in prison for using fire to commit a federal felony.
An indictment is a serious accusation. But the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/maine-man-charged-hate-crime-offenses-arson-predominantly-black-church
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/maine-man-indicted-hate-crime-offenses-relating-burning-black-church-springfield
An East Longmeadow man was arrested and charged in connection with attempted arson at a Longmeadow assisted living residential facility.
According to the criminal complaint, on April 2, 2020, police discovered a homemade bomb at the entrance of Ruth’s House, a Jewish-sponsored assisted living residential facility for seniors of all faiths,. Police linked D.N.A. found on the device to the defendant. The device was discovered after law enforcement identified credible online threats against Ruth’s House on social media posts tied to a white supremacist organization.
The defendant faces two separate charges, each with sentences of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release following imprisonment, and fines of $250,000.
Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/east-longmeadow-man-charged-attempted-arson-longmeadow-assisted-living-residential
Grant Awardees
Community-based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes
University of Massachusetts at Boston | A Community-Based Early Warning and Early Response Mechanism to Prevent and Address Hate in Boston | FY 2023
DOJ Offices
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Boston |
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Massachusetts (Boston) |
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New England Regional Office |