Quincy Man Sentenced to Over One Year in Prison for Hate Crime

Press Release

Defendant ordered his victim to "go back to China" and then hit the victim with his car twice

BOSTON - A Quincy man was sentenced today for committing a hate crime.

John Sullivan, 78, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In April 2024, Sullivan pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Sullivan was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2023.

On Dec. 2, 2022, Sullivan encountered an Asian American group he had never met before outside a post office in Quincy. Sullivan yelled to the group, 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 adult members of the group, causing the victim to land on the hood of the moving car and remain there while Sullivan drove the car approximately 200 feet in traffic. After Sullivan slammed on his breaks, stopping the car abruptly and causing the victim to slide off, Sullivan again accelerated, hitting the victim a second time and causing him to fall face first into a 10-foot-deep construction ditch and suffer injury.

"Every single man, woman and child living in Massachusetts has a fundamental right to be free from acts of hate and violence. The conduct here is truly despicable and this office will dedicate whatever resources are needed to vigorously prosecute these types of hate crimes. Fueled by his hate of Asian-Americans, John Sullivan twice used his car to strike and injure an innocent man. He engaged in these acts of hate in front of the victim's friends, including three children under the age of 12, who all watched in horror," said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. "These violent acts of hate spread fear throughout our community and will never be tolerated."

"Racially-motivated and hate-fueled attacks have no place in our society," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "This defendant targeted this man solely because he was Asian American. This behavior will not be tolerated, and the Justice Department is steadfast in its commitment to vigorously prosecute those who commit unlawful acts of hate."

"A run of the mill trip to the post office turned into a nightmare for this Vietnamese man when John Sullivan decided to target him because of the color of his skin and the country of his ancestors. There is no way to undo the damage Mr. Sullivan caused with his hateful, repulsive, and violent behavior, but hopefully today's sentence provides some measure of comfort," said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division. "All communities in our Commonwealth - deserve respect and the ability to live, work, and raise their children without fear. We encourage anyone who has been the victim of or witness to a hate crime to report it to the FBI."

Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, AAG Clarke, FBI SAC Cohen and Chief Mark Kennedy of the Quincy Police Department 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 prosecuted the case.

Updated September 4, 2024