Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, “The defendant, a rideshare driver, is charged with assaulting a rider because he thought the rider was Jewish or Israeli.” U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California emphasized, “We will prosecute any ride-share driver who assaults a passenger in such hate-fueled violence.”
The indictment against Csaba John Csukás, 39, reveals that he attacked the victim at San Francisco International Airport on Oct. 26, 2023, because he perceived the victim to be Jewish or Israeli. Csukás, who worked as a driver for an app-based rideshare company, allegedly refused to transport the victim upon learning of their Jewish or Israeli background and proceeded to physically assault them.
Csukás appeared in court today and is facing a federal hate crime charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The FBI San Francisco Field Office conducted the investigation, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California’s Special Prosecutions Section is handling the case.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp of the FBI San Francisco Field Office were involved in the announcement. It is important to note that an indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.