A federal judge has handed down a sentence of eight months in prison to Eric Celaya, a 30-year-old resident of Phoenix resident. Following his prison term, Celaya will also be subject to 36 months of supervised release. This verdict comes in response to Celaya’s involvement in the purchase of two firearms under his own name, which were subsequently given to the individual responsible for shooting two Jewish men in Los Angeles.
According to authorities, Celaya didn’t have a criminal record and was unaware of Jamie Tran’s intentions or beliefs when he purchased the firearms for him.
Tran had been unable to buy firearms as a result of past mental health holds in 2023. In January of that same year, he made his way to Phoenix and approached Celaya, requesting him to purchase two firearms on his behalf. Allegedly, Tran handed over $1,500 in cash to Celaya as payment for the firearms.
On the morning of February 15, 2023, Tran conducted an online search for places with a “kosher market.” He proceeded to drive to a vicinity near a synagogue and targeted a Jewish man wearing a yarmulke, a small brimless cap commonly worn by Jewish individuals. Tran swiftly fled the scene in his vehicle.
The following day, Tran went back to the identical location and fired at another person, a man who was also donning a yarmulke, from a close distance. He swiftly fled the area once again.
Both victims were able to survive the attacks, and on February 17, 2023, law enforcement apprehended Tran after a witness reported observing him firing a weapon behind a motel. During his arrest, Tran confessed to officers that he was merely “practicing.”
Tran was convicted of hate crimes and received a 35-year prison sentence in September. In June, he pleaded guilty to two counts of hate crimes with intent to kill and two counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California expressed his strong condemnation of the act of singling out individuals for murder solely based on their religious and ethnic identity. He emphasized that this kind of hate-driven violence is reminiscent of the darkest moments in human history and has no place in America.
According to an FBI affidavit, text messages, emails, and other reports indicate that Tran had a documented “history of antisemitic and threatening conduct.”
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