A Washington state man has been sentenced to over a decade behind bars for his role in a string of hate crimes targeting Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls. Mikey Diamond Starrett, 52, of Olympia, will serve 11 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for federal civil rights and firearms offenses connected to four separate instances of arson and gunfire, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Alongside the prison sentence, Starrett was ordered to pay restitution amounting to $714,608.70. The payments are designated for the respective Kingdom Halls and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., which provides support and materials for Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke emphasized the gravity of the crimes, saying, “The freedom to practice the religion we choose, without discrimination or violence, is a fundamental civil right in our nation and a hallmark of our democracy from its very inception.”
In the wake of these attacks, the region's Jehovah’s Witness community felt a palpable loss of the peace and security associated with their places of worship. U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman stressed, “These were not crimes against buildings, but a series of attacks against a community and a faith.” Starrett’s actions included setting fire to Kingdom Halls in Tumwater and Olympia and discharging a firearm into another hall in Yelm. The most destructive of these incidents destroyed the Olympia Kingdom Hall in July 2018.
The conviction follows a rigorous investigation by several agencies, including the ATF and the FBI. Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Blais detailed via the Office of Public Affairs press release the extensive efforts of law enforcement to unravel the case, expressing satisfaction with the outcome and reinforcing the commitment to “defending the right of people to practice their religion, and investigating when someone acts to deprive them of that right,” in this case, through acts of arson and the menacing deployment of a firearm. The combined efforts of the ATF Seattle Field Division, the FBI Seattle Field Office, and local police departments culminated in Starrett's guilty plea and, ultimately, his sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonas Lerman for the Western District of Washington and Trial Attorney Matthew Tannenbaum of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section handled the prosecution, leading to this notable sentence and providing closure to a frightened community.
