Jordany Rafael Laboy García, Christian Yamaurie Rivera Otero, Anthony Steven Lobos Ruiz, Hate Crimes, Puerto Rico 2020

paintball attack

On February 24, 2020, a heinous hate crime took place in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. Jordany Rafael Laboy García, Christian Yamaurie Rivera Otero, and Anthony Steven Lobos Ruiz, three men from Puerto Rico, have been charged with hate crimes for shooting a transgender woman with a paintball gun.

According to the indictment, the three men recognized the victim from social media posts where she identified herself as a man who entered the women’s restroom at a local restaurant. This led to a series of verbal harassment and abuse, culminating in the paintball attack.

The indictment alleges that the men drove to get a paintball gun and paintballs to be used to shoot at the victim. They then returned to the same place where they spotted the victim and fired paintballs at her. During both encounters, the men used a cell phone to record their actions, which they later shared with others.

Rivera Otero and Lobos Ruiz were also charged with obstruction of justice. The indictment states that after the alleged assault, Rivera Otero directed Lobos Ruiz to delete at least one video recording of the paintball gun assault and verbal harassment of the victim from his cellular phone, and that Lobos Ruiz, in response, did so.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the hate crime charge, five years in prison for the conspiracy charge, and a fine up to $250,000 with respect to each charge. Rivera Otero and Lobos Ruiz also face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 for the obstruction of justice charge.

The case is being investigated by the San Juan Field Office of the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Rose E. Gibson and Trial Attorney Laura B. Gilson of the Civil Rights Division, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney José A. Contreras of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico.

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