On November 18, a federal grand jury in Phoenix indicted Everardo Gregorio, 31, of Casa Grande, Arizona, on a charge related to the destruction of Khal Chasidim synagogue. The indictment accuses Gregorio of burning down the synagogue on March 3. The fire destroyed areas used for worship and also affected a kosher grocery store and restaurant that were part of the building.
Gregorio faces one federal count of Obstruction of the Free Exercise of Religious Beliefs by Fire. If convicted, he could receive up to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. He has also been charged with arson by the Pinal County Attorney’s Office and is awaiting trial on those state charges.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Casa Grande Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Goldberg for the District of Arizona is prosecuting the case alongside the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
"An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law," according to officials involved in the case.
