A Springfield man has pleaded guilty in both federal and local courts to committing hate crimes against eight Haitian immigrants residing in the community.
Izaye Eubanks, 20, admitted in court that he targeted Haitian nationals and was federally charged in early August.
The incidents occurred during January and February 2023 in Springfield, Ohio — an area with a growing Haitian immigrant community.
According to court documents, Eubanks would travel throughout Springfield, seeking individuals he believed were Haitian. He would assault them through physical violence like punching and knocking them down, followed by stealing their money, cell phones, a vehicle or other personal belongings.
Aaron Heskett, an assistant Clark County prosecutor, said at one point, Eubanks enlisted the help of two juveniles on four separate attacks.
"You're not going to do robberies or target anyone based on their race, nationality, religion. And we're not going to stand for it if we can. And we’ll partner with the federal government to seek justice to that end." Heskett said.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated in a press release, “Attacks like these, where a group of individuals is singled out and targeted for violent assaultive conduct because of who they are, will not be tolerated. The Justice Department will continue to enforce our federal criminal civil rights laws and prosecute those who commit violent, bias-motivated crimes in our country.”
In a specific incident detailed in court documents, Eubanks assaulted and robbed a victim of $300, intended for his mother in Haiti. Eubanks punched the victim in the back of the head and neck, causing him to lose consciousness, before robbing him of his cash, cell phone and ATM cards.
On the same day, Eubanks assaulted another victim leaving Friendly’s Bakery — a Haitian market. He forcibly removed the victim from his vehicle, punched him in the face and stole the victim’s vehicle.
FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge J. William Rivers stated in in a release, “These hate crimes impacted more than just the direct victims of the attacks, they threatened and intimidated the larger immigrant community. Because hate crimes have such a wide-ranging impact, investigating these crimes is a very high priority for the FBI.”
In the federal case, officials recommended a 20-year prison sentence.
Under his local plea agreement at the Clark County Common Pleas Court, Eubanks pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree felonious robbery. He will serve a four-year prison sentence for each robbery count, concurrently with his federal imprisonment.
If you have information about or believe you have been a victim of a similar attack, please call the FBI tip line at 1-800-Call-FBI.
Alejandro Figueroa is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
