White Supremacist To Be Transferred

Jacob Albert Laskey, the notorious white supremacist who gained attention in 2002 for an anti-Semitic attack on Temple Beth Israel in Eugene, is set to be transferred from the Oregon State Correctional Institution to federal custody on Feb. 7, after serving more than two years. He is to serve an additional six months in federal prison.

Laskey’s most recent conviction came in connection with a January 2018 incident in which he stabbed Devin Reid Wolf, a fellow member of the racist group American Front, which Laskey had been working to resurrect in the Lane County area before his arrest.

Laskey’s 2016 release, after serving more than 11 years for the synagogue attack, came in conjunction with Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency and just before the Eugene area began to see a sharp rise of reported racist hate crimes, including leafleting campaigns, racist graffiti and public demonstrations.

At the time, Laskey denied being involved in any white supremacist activities, instead claiming that he is an “anti-Antifa supremacist.” Laskey frequently went on lengthy unhinged screeds against Antifa on his YouTube channel, where he also attacked Eugene Weekly for its coverage of Antifa. EW, however, uncovered and published evidence of his continued ties to local white supremacist activities.

While free, Laskey worked with other area racists — including disgraced former OG Analytical owners Matthew Combs and Bethany Sherman — to form a local chapter of American Front, a racist skinhead gang that began in California’s Bay Area in 1984. Previously, Laskey claimed association with Volksfront, the Portland-based violent skinhead gang implicated in a 2003 Washington state murder.

The terms of Laskey’s federal probation at the time prohibited him from associating with white supremacists, engaging in any racist activities or committing any crimes.

This time around, Laskey is once again prohibited from associating with white supremacists, with some notable additions. Specifically, Laskey will undergo mandated mental health treatment and substance abuse treatment. He must take all prescribed medications, and he will only be allowed limited and monitored internet access. After Laskey is released from federal prison, he will serve an additional probation period lasting 30 months.

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