Anti-Semitic plot included ‘kill lists’ and targeted houses of worship, O.C. man admits
An Irvine man who had “kill lists” of prominent Jewish figures pleaded guilty Friday to charges related to an anti-Semitic plot against three congregations in Orange County.
Nicholas Wesley Rose, 28, was convicted on one felony count of carrying a loaded firearm that was not registered to him and three misdemeanor counts of violation of civil rights in connection with threats against two churches and a synagogue in Orange County because of their ties to the Jewish community.
Rose was sentenced to two years and three months in the Orange County Jail, one year in a residential mental health treatment program and five years’ probation with GPS monitoring. He also is required to stay 500 yards away from his victims and cooperate in his mental health treatment.
“There is no place for hate,” Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “He is a danger to society and every resident of Orange County should be aware of the threat he poses.”
Rose was arrested in April 2018 after his parents contacted police with concerns about their son’s violent anti-Semitic threats, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.
Police found white supremacist and anti-Jewish writings linked to Rose — including a list of steps titled “Killing my first Jew” — during a search of his apartment.
Note cards describing a church and a synagogue in Irvine, along with a church in Lake Forest, also were found. Police said Rose researched the three houses of worship and visited them between December 2017 and April 2018.
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In Rose’s car, police discovered hundreds of rounds of .22-caliber ammunition, a shovel and a sleeping bag.
Investigators said Rose also conducted extensive internet searches of white supremacy ideology, anti-Semitism and the effective range of a silenced .22-caliber long-range rifle.
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