PITTSBURGH, PA — A Beaver County man has pleaded guilty in federal court to hate crimes against disabled residents of a healthcare facility in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, announced U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan on December 4, 2023.
Tyler Smith, 32, admitted to one count of conspiracy and one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act before U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan.
Smith and his co-defendant, Zachary Dinell, were employees of an in-patient healthcare facility where residents required assistance with daily activities due to severe physical, intellectual, and emotional disabilities. As Direct Care Staff, Smith and Dinell were responsible for providing this assistance.
From June 2016 to September 2017, Smith confessed that he and Dinell conspired to commit hate crimes against residents due to their actual or perceived disabilities. The assaults, which included punching, kicking, and inflicting pain by improperly removing medical equipment, were often recorded on Dinell’s cellphone.
In one instance, Smith acknowledged jumping on a 13-year-old minor lying prone on his bed while Dinell filmed the incident. The duo also exchanged text messages expressing animus toward the disabled residents, sharing photos and videos of assaults, and encouraging continued abuse.
Smith and Dinell managed to avoid detection by exploiting their one-on-one access to residents, and the fact that victims, due to their disabilities and non-verbal status, could not report or defend against the abuse.
The maximum penalty for the conspiracy charge is five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, while the hate crime charge carries a maximum of ten years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. As part of his plea agreement, Smith has agreed to a prison term of 60 to 120 months, pending Judge Ranjan’s approval.
Co-defendant Zachary Dinell had earlier pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment and three years supervised release on January 26, 2023.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn J. Bloch and Brendan J. McKenna are prosecuting the case with the Federal Bureau of Investigation leading the investigation that led to the indictment.
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