Three charged with hate crime on Jewish man

Jul. 28—Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday commended state police for quickly making an arrest for an alleged hate crime in Delaware County.

According to a state police media release, three men were charged with third-degree grand larceny as a hate crime, a class C felony, after an incident that occurred in Fleischmanns.

According to the release, a Jewish man reported that he was walking along Main Street in the village of Fleischmanns at about 10:42 a.m. Saturday, July 24, when a man got out of a pickup truck and stole the victim's shtreimel, a fur hat.

The suspect reportedly returned to the pickup truck, which was occupied by the two other men, who all shouted anti-Semitic slurs and then drove off.

Investigators "were able to develop information that led them to the suspects," the release said. The men were identified as Johan P. Diamond, 21, of Grand Gorge; Korey O. Bush, 25, of Ashland; and Wesley R. Eignor Jr., 24, of Denver.

Investigators were able to recover the hat, they said.

Diamond was arrested on July 25, and Bush and Eignor were arrested on July 26. All three were arraigned and sent to the Delaware County Jail on $5,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond.

"I'd like to commend the New York State Police on a prompt, successful investigation following a disturbing anti-Semitic hate crime that took place in Delaware County," Cuomo said in a media release. "It is unacceptable for a Jewish man walking from a synagogue on Sabbath to be singled out, have his shtreimel ripped from his head and be verbally attacked because of his religion.

"This is New York, one of the most diverse collections of people from around the globe, and we will continue to stand together, united in our commonalities, and call out these vile incidents of hate whenever they occur. We will use every tool at our disposable to weed this hatred out of our state and ensure that love will always win."