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Dundalk cemetery vandalism case ends in guilty plea; man faces up to three years
George Horn, 36, admitted targeting a Jewish cemetery in Dundalk and spray-painting swastikas on gravestones in July 2023. Some of the damaged stones could not be restored and had to be replaced.
A 36-year-old Dundalk man has pleaded guilty to federal vandalism charges after admitting he defaced gravestones at a Jewish cemetery because it was Jewish, prosecutors said.
George Horn used black spray paint on multiple headstones at Ohr Knesseth Israel Anshe Sfard Cemetery in July 2023. Caretakers later found swastikas and other symbols on 12 gravestones, according to details of his plea.
Attempts to clean the stones did not remove every mark; some headstones had to be replaced after the swastika outlines remained. Federal prosecutors also presented video of Horn painting the gravestones and a journal containing references to Nazism and white supremacy.
Horn faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced in January. The cemetery, located in Dundalk, dates to the late 19th century.