A federal judge has slapped an East Bay man with an 18-year jail term after setting the homes and workplaces of his "enemies" on fire by throwing Molotov cocktails with the help of two other men, the U.S. Justice Department bared on Tuesday.
David Jah, 47, of Concord, has been convicted by a jury in May of conspiring to commit arson in attacks on three homes in San Francisco, Danville, and Lafayette between October and November 2018.
He reportedly hired associates to carry out his revenge on a list of foes. The court also found he was ultimately responsible for a spate of six fire-bombings and two drive-by shootings in San Francisco, Danville, and Oakland starting in March 2016, San Francisco Chronicle noted.
According to prosecutors, the file identified several attorneys involved in the sale of his childhood home and the buyer of that property. He also listed a former neighbor that he had multiple disagreements with and a lawyer who served as a legal representative for the City of San Francisco when his son lodged an excessive-force complaint against cops.
Jah came into contact with Kristopher Alexis-Clark, 27, of Vallejo, through a sex worker, passing on the list of targets of the imminent hate crimes. Alexis-Clark would later loop Dennis Williams, 41, of Fairfield, to join the conspiracy, according to East Bay Times.
The Concord man reportedly offered the duo $800 to $5,000 for the attacks. In one attack, on Oct. 21, 2018, a mishap saw a neighbor's living room set alight instead of the target after they threw a lit Molotov cocktail through a front window at the wrong home.
They would meet days later at a Pacheco casino, agreeing to target a pair of Bay Area probate lawyers, who had been working to remove Jah's family from his childhood home in the Richmond District and have it sold on the market.
On Nov. 3, 2018, a series of Molotov cocktail attacks saw the attorneys’ homes ravaged by flames. According to prosecutors, no one was seriously injured from the arson attacks due to the incompetence of the men that Jah hired.
Automated license-plate reader camera footage and other evidence led San Francisco detectives to invite Alexis-Clark for questioning. The man would then admit to cops that he was the driver but noted he did not throw anything.
Apart from a request for a jury hearing concerning two other Molotov cocktail attacks, the government moved to ask the court to scrutinize the evidence of four other arson attacks and two drive-by shootings that occurred from March 2016 to November 2018.
Jah would later be tied and found guilty of these offenses.
A sentencing memorandum notes that Jah publicized his intent to “terrorize” at least one victim on social media and attempted to intimidate co-defendants Alexis-Clark and Williams into offering false testimonies. He reportedly tried to coerce them to sign an affidavit denying any conspiracy.
However, Alexis-Clark and Williams proceeded to testify against Jah at his trial. They have since pleaded guilty to conniving with the mastermind and are awaiting sentencing.
Jah has been in federal custody since 2019. He was sentenced on Monday by the U.S. District Judge William Alsup, who imposed a longer prison term, three more years than the 15-year sentence recommended by federal prosecutors.
Jah also received a three-year supervised release term following his prison sentence. His legal camp had initially requested a prison sentence between 10 and 12½ years, citing the alleged mental illness of their client.
“Arson is a dangerous act of violence which poses a significant threat to the community,” Special Agent in Charge Patrick Gorman said in a statement. "This sentencing will undoubtedly send a message to anyone who considers conducting these types of violent acts that they will not be tolerated."
Gorman moved to ensure the public that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive will continue to work alongside the police to crack down on violent crimes such as Jah's.
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
