Earl Krugel
Encyclopedia
Earl Leslie Krugel was the West Coast
coordinator of the Jewish Defense League
. In 2005, he was sentenced to prison on charges of terrorism after he confessed plotting, with the group's leader Irv Rubin
, to blow up the office of Arab-American congressman Darrell Issa
and the King Fahd mosque
in Culver City, California
. He was kept in protective custody for three years for the 2001 bomb plot, but was transferred to a medium security federal prison following his sentencing. Three days later, he was murdered by a fellow inmate, who struck him in the head with a block of concrete
.
In November 2001 he was arrested at his home in California after receiving a delivery of gunpowder. Bomb components including pipes, end caps, detonators and gunpower were confiscated along with multiple rifles and handguns. In December 2001 Krugel and Rubin were arraigned on conspiracy charges to send explosives to the Sherman Oaks, California office of U.S. congressman Darrell Issa, a Lebanese-American, and to bomb the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City, California. According to the affidavit in support of the charges, Krugel had stated to an FBI informant that "Arabs needed a wake-up call and the JDL needed to do something to one of their 'filthy mosques'. According to the San Francisco Chronicle the affidavit also "painted a picture of a tiny gang that sat around talking about what to blow up but generally shied away from blowing up people.
In 2003 the bombing charges were dropped and Krugel was allowed to plead guilty to reduced charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights, and to a weapons charge. U.S. District Court Judge Ronald S.W. Lew
accepted the plea. . Part of the plea agreement demanded that Krugel reveal the names of all JDL activists involved in the 1985 bombing of Alex Odeh
's office. The plea agreement was later retracted with details sealed to the public. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in September 2005.
in Phoenix, Arizona
, Krugel was murdered by another inmate, who used a concrete block to strike his head. Krugel had been at the medium security prison for just three days. As the case against Earl Krugel was on appeal at the time of his death, Judge Lew dismissed conviction.
The suspect, David Frank Jennings, 30, allegedly attacked Krugel from behind with a piece of concrete hidden in a bag while Krugel was using an exercise machine, delivering multiple blows to his skull, face and neck. Krugel suffered multiple skull fractures, internal bleeding and multiple lacerations to his head, face and brain. The beating knocked out teeth and also fractured one of his eye sockets. Krugel was pronounced dead at the scene.
Krugel's widow has questioned why Krugel was placed in an exercise yard with Jennings, a skinhead with tattoos indicating his Aryan Brotherhood
affiliation.
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
coordinator of the Jewish Defense League
Jewish Defense League
The Jewish Defense League is a Jewish organization whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary"...
. In 2005, he was sentenced to prison on charges of terrorism after he confessed plotting, with the group's leader Irv Rubin
Irv Rubin
Irving D. Rubin was chairman of the Jewish Defense League from 1985 to 2002. He allegedly committed suicide in jail when awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to bomb private and government property....
, to blow up the office of Arab-American congressman Darrell Issa
Darrell Issa
Darrell Edward Issa is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 48th, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was formerly a CEO of Directed Electronics, the Vista, California-based manufacturer of automobile security and convenience products...
and the King Fahd mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
. He was kept in protective custody for three years for the 2001 bomb plot, but was transferred to a medium security federal prison following his sentencing. Three days later, he was murdered by a fellow inmate, who struck him in the head with a block of concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
.
Life
At one time, Krugel worked as a dental assistant in the San Fernando Valley, California. He was active with the Jewish Defense League since its founding in 1968.In November 2001 he was arrested at his home in California after receiving a delivery of gunpowder. Bomb components including pipes, end caps, detonators and gunpower were confiscated along with multiple rifles and handguns. In December 2001 Krugel and Rubin were arraigned on conspiracy charges to send explosives to the Sherman Oaks, California office of U.S. congressman Darrell Issa, a Lebanese-American, and to bomb the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City, California. According to the affidavit in support of the charges, Krugel had stated to an FBI informant that "Arabs needed a wake-up call and the JDL needed to do something to one of their 'filthy mosques'. According to the San Francisco Chronicle the affidavit also "painted a picture of a tiny gang that sat around talking about what to blow up but generally shied away from blowing up people.
In 2003 the bombing charges were dropped and Krugel was allowed to plead guilty to reduced charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights, and to a weapons charge. U.S. District Court Judge Ronald S.W. Lew
Ronald S.W. Lew
Ronald S.W. Lew is a U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California in the Ninth Circuit. Outside of Hawaii, Judge Lew was the first Chinese-American appointed to the federal bench after being appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1987...
accepted the plea. . Part of the plea agreement demanded that Krugel reveal the names of all JDL activists involved in the 1985 bombing of Alex Odeh
Alex Odeh
Alex Odeh was an Arab-American anti-discrimination activist who was killed in a bombing as he opened the door of his office at 1905 East 17th Street, Santa Ana, California...
's office. The plea agreement was later retracted with details sealed to the public. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in September 2005.
Imprisonment and death
On November 4, 2005, at the Federal Correctional InstitutionFederal Correctional Institution, Phoenix
Federal Correctional Institution, Phoenix is a U.S. federal prison located in Phoenix, Arizona. Operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, it is a medium-security facility housing male inmates and also has an adjacent satellite prison camp that houses minimum-security female offenders...
in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Krugel was murdered by another inmate, who used a concrete block to strike his head. Krugel had been at the medium security prison for just three days. As the case against Earl Krugel was on appeal at the time of his death, Judge Lew dismissed conviction.
The suspect, David Frank Jennings, 30, allegedly attacked Krugel from behind with a piece of concrete hidden in a bag while Krugel was using an exercise machine, delivering multiple blows to his skull, face and neck. Krugel suffered multiple skull fractures, internal bleeding and multiple lacerations to his head, face and brain. The beating knocked out teeth and also fractured one of his eye sockets. Krugel was pronounced dead at the scene.
Krugel's widow has questioned why Krugel was placed in an exercise yard with Jennings, a skinhead with tattoos indicating his Aryan Brotherhood
Aryan Brotherhood
The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as The Brand, the AB, or the One-Two, is a white supremacist prison gang and organized crime syndicate in the United States with about 20,000 members in and out of prison...
affiliation.
External links
- Feds Indict Suspect in Prison Murder of JDL's Krugel, Jewish JournalThe Jewish Journal of Greater Los AngelesThe Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles is an independent, nonprofit community weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of greater Los Angeles, published by TRIBE Media Corp. The Journal was established in 1985. As of 2010 it had a verified circulation of 60,000 and an estimated readership...
. - JDL Head Arrested, JewishJournal.com, December 14, 2001.
- Mike Levy, JDL Trial Set for October, Rubin, Krugel attorneys have been unable to speak with informant in bomb plot case, JewishJournal.com, April 12, 2002.
- Jim Crogan,Krugel Gets 20 Years for Bomb Plot, JewishJournal.com, September 30, 2005.
- Inmate Charged With First Degree Murder, Phoenix FBI web site.
- Secret Trial is a Poor Departure from Precedent