Two men plead guilty to vandalizing religious buildings

(modbee.com) - Two men pleaded guilty Friday to federal hate crime charges stemming from February 2006 vandalism of two Modesto churches and a synagogue.

Federal prosecutors say Brian Lewis of Modesto and Abel Gonzalez of Morgan Hill, both now 23, face up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Fresno to conspiring to violate the civil rights of members of Congregation Beth Shalom. They also admitted vandalizing Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and School and the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation by spray- painting the walls.

The Rev. Fr. Jon Magoulias of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation on Tokay Avenue said Friday that prosecutors asked some of the victims to meet with Lewis and Gonzalez.

"They want to express their apology," Magoulias said, adding that he agreed to the request. "I would want to hopefully see that they realize the severity of their actions."

Magoulias noted that the two were 18 at the time of the attacks, and perhaps didn't understand the repercussions of their actions.

"Vulgar attacks on any religion are upsetting to us," he said.

At his church, the lawn was damaged, a black "666" was painted on a stone cross and a satanic symbol across the church's tile steps. The double doors leading into the church's office were painted with upside-down crosses, a pentagram, and expletives referring to "Christ" and "God."

The synagogue's tan brick walls were defaced with swastikas, the desecrated Star of David, racial epithets, a reference to Germany's secret police of the 1940s and a slur to go "back to the ovens," presumably a reference to the Holocaust of World War II, during which 6 million Jews were murdered.

At Our Lady of Fatima, a rock the size of a cantaloupe was thrown through a 7-foot window.

The vandalism shook the local religious community, but also brought about increased communication among the heads of the churches as they banded together.

April sentencing set

Lauren Horwood, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento, says the case was delayed while prosecutors negotiated a plea with the men. They will be sentenced in Fresno in April.

"We're glad the FBI kept on this and was able to come to this point," Magoulias said. His church has stepped up safety measures and paid for improvements to deter future acts. "We'd like to put our resources to better use," he said.

Still, he is eager to meet with the two young men to see if they're truly sorry for what they did.

"We're always willing to forgive people," he said.