A Texas man pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges, admitting his role in a scheme that used a dating app to target gay men for violent crimes.
Daniel Jenkins, 22, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Wednesday to plead guilty to hate crimes, kidnapping, carjacking, and a gun charge, according to the Justice Department. Jenkins could face up to 26 years in prison.
“The Department of Justice and the Civil Rights Division are committed to confronting the scourge of hate-based violence gripping communities across our nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We denounce hate-based violence in all of its forms, including violence targeting individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Three other men pleaded guilty in relation to the scheme in 2019.
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In 2017, Jenkins and the other men used Grindr, a dating app used by gay men, to lure victims to a vacant apartment or other places around Dallas for robbery, carjacking, or kidnapping, the DOJ said in a statement. Jenkins admitted that he and the other men held victims at gunpoint, took their personal property, including cars, and withdrew money from their bank accounts.
Jenkins also admitted that they taunted the victims based upon their sexual identity, the statement said.
“These defendants brutalized multiple victims, singling them out due to their sexual orientation. We cannot allow this sort of violence to fester unchecked,” acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah of the Northern District of Texas said.
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“No one should have to live in fear of violence because of who they are, where they are from or what they believe,” FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno added. “We will continue working with our law enforcement and community partners to detect and prevent violent incidents motivated by hate or bias. We also urge the public to report any suspected hate crimes to the FBI and local law enforcement.”
Jenkins’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6. His co-defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on June 23.
