A guilty plea was entered by a Quincy man charged with a hate crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that 78-year-old John Sullivan pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred on December 2, 2022 when Sullivan encountered a Vietnamese family outside a post office in Quincy.
He was accused of yelling at the family, which included three children under the age of 12, to “go back to China,” and threatening to kill them.
Sullivan then hit a victim twice with his car which ultimately resulted in the victim falling into a construction ditch and sustaining injuries.
Sentencing in the case is scheduled for June 26 and the U.S. Attorney’s Office says Sullivan could face a maximum sentence of 10 years, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Anyone who witnesses a hate crime is being urged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit the FBI’s website tips.fbi.gov.”
