Anton Nathaniel Redding sentenced to 220 days in jail
By Sam Catanzaro
A 25-year-old man pleaded no contest November 19 for vandalizing the Nessah Synagogue in Beverly Hills last December, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has announced.
Anton Nathaniel Redding of Millersville, Pennsylvania, entered the plea to one felony count of vandalism of religious property.
Redding was immediately sentenced to 220 days in county jail and five years of formal probation.
He also was ordered to complete a 12-month residential treatment program and to pay restitution in the amount of $166,604.
Redding broke into the synagogue on Dec. 14, 2019, and damaged property and holy books, prosecutors said.
According to the city of Beverly Hills, Redding made his way to the Nessah Synagogue and forced entry into the location. The suspect then moved throughout the synagogue, heavily ransacking the interior. The suspect disrupted the furnishings and contents of the synagogue by overturning furniture and distributing brochures and materials throughout the interior. The suspect damaged several Jewish relics, but fortunately, the Synagogue’s main scrolls survived unscathed.
Although police investigated the crime as a hate crime, the suspect left no markings or other overt signs of anti-Semitism.
“This cowardly attack hits at the heart of who we are as a community,” said then-Mayor John Mirisch in a December statement. “It is not just an attack on the Jewish Community of Beverly Hills; it’s an attack on all of us. The entire City stands in solidarity behind Nessah, its members and congregants. We are committed to catching the criminal who desecrated a holy place on Shabbat of all days and bringing him to justice. We are equally committed that our City will continue to be a welcoming place for Jews and for members of all religions and groups.”
