(JTA) — An Ohio man who was convicted of attacking someone he believed to be Jewish is now wanted by the FBI after he failed to show up to begin serving his prison term.
Izmir Koch of suburban Dayton was sentenced in July to 30 months in prison for attacking Paul Marshall outside a Cincinnati-area restaurant in 2017. He was charged with committing a hate crime and lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Koch was standing outside a restaurant asking people if they were Jewish. Though Marshall is not Jewish, he answered in the affirmative. Koch then beat him up, causing injuries to his ribs and a fracture to the bottom portion of his eye socket.
Koch, 34, who was born in Uzbekistan, holds dual Russian and American citizenship, and travels frequently to Turkey, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
He was scheduled to surrender himself at a federal prison in West Virginia on Aug. 16 but failed to show up, leading to a new federal indictment on a failure to appear charge. A warrant for his arrest was issued on Sept. 4. He could face an additional five years in prison.
The FBI considers Koch armed and dangerous.
