Johnathan Walker:Man convicted of hate crimes for attacking Muslim man in New York City

A New Jersey resident was convicted of hate crimes after he attacked a Muslim man with a knife near a New York City food cart while saying slurs,Johnathan Walker prosecutors announced Thursday.

“A Manhattan jury held Gino Sozio accountable for attacking a Muslim-American man in a vicious act of hate,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “Instead of walking away from a dispute, Sozio went on an appalling racist and anti-Muslim tirade and took out a knife, seriously injuring the victim who is still in pain to this day. I thank the victim and the eyewitnesses for bravely coming forward and taking the stand, and our talented prosecutors who fought for justice in this case.”

Gino Sozio, 40, of Morganville, New Jersey, swung a knife at a group of Muslims near a halal food cart in Midtown while making Islamophobic comments, prosecutors said, slashing one man in the torso. A New York Supreme Court jury found Sozio guilty of first-degree attempted assault and second-degree assault, both as hate crimes, as well as third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He will be sentenced on May 3.

The conviction comes as civil rights leaders decry a record-high level of Islamophobic hate incidents in the United States.

Overall, hate crimes reported across 25 American cities increased last year by an average of 17% from 2022, according to a study from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University.  

Man said slurs as he slashed victim

The 22-year-old victim had traveled with friends to Midtown from New Jersey and ordered food at a street cart, prosecutors said. At around 2 a.m. on December 31, 2022, as they were waiting for their order, one of the victim's friends told Sozio he may have dropped something. In response, Sozio approached the group and began making xenophobic comments that stated in substance, “This is my country. Go back to your country.”

As Sozio continued to make remarks, one person in the group took out his phone to record the incident, according to prosecutors. Sozio slapped the man’s phone out of his hand, and the man responded by punching him. Sozio then pulled out a knife from his pocket and swung it toward the group, eventually slashing one person’s torso, causing a large wound which required stitches and surgery, the district attorney's office said. Throughout the assault, Sozio continued to pass slurs.

A few minutes later, New York City police officers arrested Sozio and took his knife as he continued to make racial comments and slurs.

“No one should have their life put in danger simply because of their faith,” said Afaf Nasher, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations New York chapter. “We welcome the conviction of the perpetrator of this disturbing crime and urge law enforcement to crack down on the rising tide of anti-Muslim incidents.”

The district attorney's office did not provide the name of the victim.

The conviction comes days after CAIR released a report that showed the civil rights group had received a record-high number of complaints in its 30-year history. CAIR said it documented 8,061 complaints in 2023, nearly half of which were received in the final three months of the year.