A man has pleaded guilty to federal charges after he vandalized a Jewish cemetery in Maryland in 2023, federal prosecutors have confirmed.
George Horn, 36, of Dundalk, pleaded guilty to religious vandalism and admitted that he painted swastikas and other symbols on multiple headstones at the Ohr Knesseth Israel Anshe Sfard Cemetery, which he said he targeted because it is a Jewish cemetery.
Horn had a copy of Mein Kampf, the 1925 autobiographical and political manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler on his phone.
The incident occurred in July 2023. Horn entered the cemetery and used spray paint to deface multiple gravestones.
Twelve defaced gravestones were discovered days later by cemetery caretakers.
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Multiple gravestones had to be replaced as despite the caretakers’ best efforts, residue of black spray paint in the outline of a swastika remained on the gravestones.
Prosecutors said that evidence shows that “Horn had antisemitic animus toward Jewish people,” according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Investigators later discovered “antisemitic messages” alongside other items in a storage unit and in Horn's car. Items included a journal with “references to Naziism and white supremacy” and a video of “Horn spray-painting two gravestones,” as well as the copy of Mein Kampf on his phone.
The cemetery in Dundalk was established in the late 19th century.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland via email for comment outside of regular working hours.
Rise in Antisemitic Hate Crimes Across U.S.
The incident comes amid a rise in antisemitic hate crimes across the U.S.
In 2023, the year that the incident in the Dundalk cemetery took place, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded 8,873 antisemitic incidents—a 140 percent increase from the previous year, and the highest since the ADL began tracking in 1979.
Last year was the third-highest year on record for antisemitic incidents, with the ADL tracking 6,274 incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault in 2025. The figure was five times higher than a decade ago, and 33 percent lower than 2024.
Vandalism is the second-most-prevalent type of incident, with the most common being harassment and assault the least frequent. There were 2068 vandalism incidents in 2025.
Maryland ranked ninth in the top 10 states with the most antisemitic incidents in 2025. New York, California and New Jersey were the top three. The ADL recorded 181 antisemitic incidents in Maryland in 2025. There were 99 incidents of harassment, 80 of vandalism and two of assault. In 2023, 210 instances of harassment, 124 of vandalism and five of assault were recorded in Maryland.
In May, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned a series of swastika graffiti incidents in Queens after homes, synagogues and a plaque honoring Kristallnacht survivors were defaced. At least five reports of spray-painted swastikas were made to the New York City Police Department.
What Happens Next
Horn, who will be sentenced on January 14, faces a maximum of three years in prison.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Cannon and Dave Siminoff.