Boston Brothers to Face Hate Crime Charges After 'Trump-inspired' Attack

Above: Steve Leader (left), and Scott Leader on the night of their arrest.

Two Boston men who allegedly beat and urinated on a homeless man in an attack one said was inspired by Donald Trump’s rhetoric have been indicted on federal hate crime charges.

Scott Leader, 38, and Steve Leader, 30, both of South Boston, were indicted for civil rights violations while causing bodily injury, a charge that carries up to 10 years in state prison. The indictments also charge both men with assault and battery for purposes of intimidation causing bodily injury, two counts each of assault and battery, and two counts each of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced Friday.

The brothers have been in jail since the Aug. 19 attack on a homeless man resting in the JFK/UMass MBTA station, at about 12:30 a.m. Witnesses reported watching two men hit the 58-year-old homeless man repeatedly with a metal pole before walking away laughing. The pair also allegedly kicked, punched, and urinated on the victim. The witnesses followed the suspects after the attack, helping police find them.

The victim was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where he was treated for a broken nose, serious bruising across his torso, and other injuries.

At the State Police barracks in South Boston the night of the attack, Scott Leader reportedly incriminated himself and his brother in the crimes, saying he and his brother “tuned up” an “illegal immigrant,” and that this behavior was acceptable because the victim was homeless and Hispanic. He reportedly credited his thinking to Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.