Quincy Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime

BOSTON – A Quincy man pleaded guilty today to committing a hate crime.

John Sullivan, 78, pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for June 26, 2024. Sullivan was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023.

On Dec. 2, 2022, Sullivan encountered a Vietnamese family he had never met before outside a post office in Quincy. Sullivan yelled to the family, which included three children under the age of 12, to “go back to China,” and threatened to kill them. He then drove his car into one of the family members, causing the victim to land on the hood of the moving car and remain there while the car moved approximately 200 feet. After Sullivan stopped the car and the victim slid off, Sullivan again drove his car forward, hitting the victim a second time causing the victim to fall into a construction ditch and suffer injury.

“The actions of John Sullivan are appalling and a sad reflection of intolerance and hate that is far too prevalent in our society. Sullivan violently assaulted an individual in front of children because of his race and national origin,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “This behavior will never be tolerated and we will continue to aggressively prosecute hate crimes.”

“This defendant’s hate-filled attack not only seriously injured the victim, but also traumatized three children in his family, solely because they were Asian American,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “No person in this country should have to fear for their own or their family’s safety because of who they are or where they are from. The Justice Department is determined to stem the rising tide of hate crimes and will vigorously prosecute those who commit them.”

“John Sullivan’s hateful and violent conduct, motivated by racial intolerance, was intended to physically harm the victim in this case, and instill fear within the Asian community in Quincy,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The FBI and our partners simply won’t tolerate crimes spurred by hate. While we all have the right to believe whatever we want, when those views lead to violence, that’s a different and dangerous story. We urge anyone who is a victim or witness to a hate crime, to report it to us at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.”

The charge provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, AAG Clarke and FBI SAC Cohen made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Quincy Police Department and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings of the Civil Rights & Human Trafficking Unit and Tara Allison of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.