E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California
A Southern California man has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for a racially motivated attack on an Asian American woman, the Justice Department announced. Jesse Allen Lindsey, 38, was sentenced by United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald.
Lindsey pleaded guilty in December 2024 to one count of a hate crime and has been in custody since July 2024. The incident occurred on June 14, 2021, when Lindsey followed the victim during her walk to work. He shouted racial slurs and punched her in the head, leaving her injured on a Culver City street.
The victim required hospital treatment for injuries to her head and ear and was unable to work for a month due to psychological trauma.
Judge Fitzgerald described the attack as a "shocking and horrible crime" and highlighted Lindsey's extensive criminal record, which includes firearms offenses, domestic battery, grand theft, attempted extortion, probation violations, and numerous arrests.
After fleeing California following news reports of the attack, Lindsey was located in a state prison serving time for another conviction. During an interview with law enforcement about the assault, he admitted to punching the victim but falsely claimed self-defense.
The FBI investigated with assistance from the Culver City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Greer Dotson prosecuted the case.
