Guilty Plea in Orange Hate-Crime Attack

In the first federal prosecution of a hate-crime assault in Orange County, a man pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he beat a man in Orange four years ago because of his Asian ancestry.

Authorities said Kevin Timothy Dale, 22, faces a 10-year sentence after admitting that he jumped on Mark Sanjay David from the roof of a car while about a dozen others pummeled David after a punk rock concert by the band Fear.

David, 29, who is of Indian descent, was left unconscious with a fractured skull, but he eventually recovered, U.S. Atty. Michael Gennaco said.

Dale “did admit to participating in the assault, in part because of the skin color and descent of the victim,” Gennaco said.

Dale, a former Orange resident, is to be sentenced April 17 in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana. Gennaco said the investigation is ongoing and that others involved in the assault may face federal charges.

Dale’s case marks the first time that the U.S. Attorney’s office has used federal laws targeting racially motivated crimes to prosecute an assault in Orange County, Gennaco said. Federal authorities are reviewing at least a dozen other hate-crime attacks in the county, he said.