PITTSBURGH, PA — A Beaver County resident has received a substantial sentence for the commitment and conspiracy of hate crimes committed against severely disabled victims, as revealed by United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan.
Tyler Smith, a 34-year-old New Brighton resident, has been sentenced to 120 months – or 10 years – of imprisonment, which will be followed by three years of supervised release. The United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan delivered the verdict on Friday. Smith previously entered a guilty plea for one count of conspiracy and another count of contravening the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
This sentencing punctuates the end of Smith’s horrifying tale of abuse. “Today’s sentencing holds Tyler Smith accountable for the abhorrent and degrading assaults he and Zachary Dinell carried out against more than a dozen victims—simply because they were disabled,” said U.S. Attorney Olshan. He expressed hope that this outcome will provide some closure for the victims’ families who have endured the traumatic burden of Smith and Dinell’s actions for years. Olshan also reiterated the commitment of his office and the FBI to protect the most vulnerable members of the community.
Kevin Rojek, FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge, echoed Olshan’s sentiments. He conveyed hope that the sentencing can bring some comfort to the families devastated by the crime. He forcefully asserted, “Today’s sentencing shows there is no room for hatred, and crimes against our most vulnerable citizens will be met with the force of justice.”
From 2016 to 2017, Smith and his co-defendant Dinell, who were both employees of a New Brighton-based in-patient health care facility, conspired to commit hate crimes against 13 residents because of their disabilities. These residents, many of whom needed wheelchairs, suffered from a spectrum of severe physical, intellectual, and emotional disabilities. Smith and Dinell provided daily assistance to these residents as part of the Direct Care Staff of the facility.
Their crimes ranged from physical brute force, such as punching and kicking residents, to devious methods that included rubbing hand sanitizer in their eyes, spraying mouthwash in their eyes and mouths, and maliciously removing a resident’s compression stocking. In one shocking event, Smith jumped on top of a 13-year-old child while the child was lying in bed in the dark, with the incident filmed by Dinell.
Explicit text messages exchanged between Smith and Dinell unveil a horrifying conspiracy and a deep-seated animosity towards the disabled residents. In these messages, they shared photographs and videos, described their attacks, and spurred each other on to continue with the abuse.
Smith and Dinell’s victims, due to their conditions, were unable to report the abuse, and their physical disabilities prevented any chance of self-defense. This created a grim scenario where Smith and Dinell were able to avoid detection for their heinous actions.
In a prior ruling, Zachary Dinell received a sentence of 17 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to all counts.
This case serves as a potent testimony to the relentless pursuit of justice by United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan, Assistant United States Attorneys Carolyn J. Bloch and Brendan J. McKenna, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who brought Smith and Dinell to account for their unspeakable actions.
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