Man Pleads Guilty to Damaging Brooklyn Headquarters of Chabad-Lubavitch Movement

Dan Sohail pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York to damaging religious property at the Brooklyn headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

The proceeding took place before U.S. District Judge Eric N. Vitaliano. Per the Department of Justice announcement, Sohail faces a sentence that includes imprisonment and restitution when he returns for sentencing at a date to be set by the court.

The scope of the offense centers on physical damage to the headquarters of one of the largest Hasidic Jewish organizations in the world. Chabad-Lubavitch maintains its global base in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn and operates educational, religious, and humanitarian programs that reach an estimated 1 million participants and supporters across more than 100 countries.

The guilty plea changes the case status from prosecution to conviction. Sentencing will now proceed under federal guidelines for damage to religious property, which carry statutory maximum penalties that include prison time and mandatory restitution to cover repair costs and any lost use of the facility. No sentencing date has been scheduled.

Downstream, the court must calculate restitution based on documented costs submitted by Chabad-Lubavitch. Federal probation will prepare a presentence report that details the extent of damage and Sohail’s background. Once sentenced, the Bureau of Prisons will assign Sohail to a facility to serve whatever term the judge imposes.

The restitution order will create an enforceable financial obligation that survives any prison term.

This marks the resolution of a federal case brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The Department of Justice has pursued similar prosecutions under the religious-property damage statute in other districts when houses of worship or religious institutions were targeted.