Three Charged With Hate Crimes and Conspiracy for Vandalizing Brooklyn Museum Leaders’ Homes

Three people have been charged with 25 counts, including making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, graffiti, and conspiracy, in connection with the vandalism of the home of Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak, as well as those of three museum board trustees.

Taylor Pelton, Samuel Seligson and Gabriel Schubiner were charged for the June 2024 incidents, in which red paint was splashed across the front door and windows of all four residences. At Pasternak’s Brooklyn Heights home, a banner was hung between two columns that read: “Anne Pasternak / Brooklyn Museum / White Supremacist Zionist.” Beneath that statement, in smaller, red letters, were the words “Funds Genocide.” The homes of Brooklyn Museum board chair Barbara Vogelstein, board treasurer Neil Simpkins, aandas president and chief operating officer Kimberly Panicek Trueblood were also graffitied with anti-Zionist messages that night.

Surveillance footage near the four residences was used by investigators to identify the three individuals, and a stencil covered in red paint had a fingerprint which was also identified as belonging to Schubiner, according to a press release from the office of Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

The vandalism occurred around two weeks after a large pro-Palestine march ended in front of the museum, meeting with a protest held in the lobby. Protestors on both sides of the glass called for the institution to condemn the killing of Palestinians in Gaza and to divest from its financial ties to Israel. More than 30 people were arrested, leading some artists and activists to accuse the New York Police Department of brutality. In a statement to Hyperallergic, the museum said that the NYPD officers present at the protest “responded as best they could to the overwhelming crowds and heightened tensions,” and museum leadership had “reached out to the community affairs leadership at NYPD to discuss their actions on Friday and how we can focus on de-escalation going forward.”

Pelton of Astoria, Queens, was arrested in early August. Seligson, an independent videographer, was also arrested in August after being charged with two counts of criminal mischief with a hate crime advancement—a felony in New York.

“Acts of vandalism that target individuals in their own homes are a deeply disturbing violation meant to intimidate, terrorize, and instill fear,” Gonzalez added. “These defendants allegedly targeted museum board members with threats and anti-Semitic graffiti based on their perceived heritage. These actions are not protests; they are hate crimes, and we are deeply committed to holding accountable anyone who uses such unlawful tactics in Brooklyn.”

Other charges include making a terroristic threat, third- and fourth-degree criminal mischief as a hate crime, third- and fourth-degree criminal mischief, and making graffiti. Schubiner was formally informed of criminal charges by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on November and released without bail. The District Attorney’s announcement said that Seligson and Pelton are expected to be arraigned next week.

The vandalism incidents generated allegations of antisemitism, including from New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Pasternak is Jewish, though the other three board members who were targeted are not, according to the New York Times.

Gonzalez’s press statement also included a claim that Pelton, Seligson and Schubiner “allegedly targeted members of the Brooklyn Museum’s Board of Directors who have Jewish-sounding names and did not target two board members who do not have Jewish-sounding names.”

The press statement said that the inverted red triangles painted on the windows of Pasternak’s home were a symbol “associated with Hamas, a terrorist group.” Hyperallergic reported that the red shape is connected to the Palestinian flag and has been accused of featuring in Hamas combat strategies.