Teen, 17, accused in string of vandalism
CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella is accusing Loren Faulkner, 17, of violating the state’s Civil Rights Act 22 times between 2022 and 2023, for committing acts of vandalism including racist and homophobic graffiti found in Portsmouth in late February.
The civil complaint, filed with the Rockingham County Superior Court, alleges that Faulkner was responsible for a “spree of antisemitic, homophobic, and racist vandalism” damaging 18 properties on Feb. 21, by targeting a synagogue, minority-owned businesses, and storefronts displaying a rainbow flag with graffiti including swastikas.
Portsmouth responded to the vandalism in February with an outpouring of events to support its community members.
The attorney general’s action echoes an early theory from Portsmouth police Detective Sergeant Kevin McCarthy: that the tags were part of a targeted undertaking by one individual.
According to a memo from the Department of Justice, Faulkner’s alleged vandalism spree began at around 1 a.m. on Feb. 21 and lasted for about two hours. He started by spray-painting a swastika on a wall under the Bartlett Street Railroad Bridge’s trestle and went on to vandalize 17 other locations, the memo said. Some of the vandalism was captured on surveillance cameras, which also recorded Faulkner moving from one location to another on foot. “Across all locations, the vandalism was consistent and involved red spray-paint of, among other words and symbols, crosses, Stars of David, swastikas, and ‘X’s,” according to the memo.
The state also said Faulkner is responsible for earlier incidents dating back to April 20, 2022: vandalizing the St. John’s Masonic Temple with antisemitic and homophobic statements, destroying a Ukrainian flag, and creating a video denouncing both LGBTQ+ individuals and Ukrainians that he then emailed to the entire sophomore class at Portsmouth High School, except himself and his friends.
“This (expletive) country needs to burn in hell. Can’t wait to see all these Ukrainians dies. We love Putin. We love Russia. (Expletive) Ukraine. (Expletive) gay people,” he said in the video, according to the complaint.
Investigators said the video showed Faulkner’s head and hands as he lit a Ukrainian flag.
The attorney general determined that Faulkner’s alleged actions were motivated by race, religion, national origin, gender identity, and sexual orientation and that they “interfered with the lawful activities of his victims who were targeted for their actual and perceived protected characteristics and/or their actual or perceived support for marginalized communities.”
Formella condemned the conduct. “Hateful acts that are motivated by intolerance for our fellow citizens have no place in New Hampshire and will not be tolerated,” he said, adding that the Department of Justice will use every tool at its disposal to combat hate. That includes enforcing civil rights violations.
Each violation carries a maximum penalty of $5,000, which means Faulkner could face a penalty of up to $110,000.
“We need to be aware that this exists and this is going on, so we can stop it and stand up and say this isn’t welcome in our community,” Moller Wulfe told the Globe in February after his Portsmouth tattoo shop was targeted in the vandalism spree.
A motion for a preliminary injunction said the court should put a temporary restraining order in place to prevent Faulkner from coming within 350 feet of the locations he targeted.