Rex Crofton, 25, of Albuquerque, was charged June 4, 2026, with two counts of felony criminal damage to property, desecration of a church, disorderly conduct, and a hate crime enhancement after allegedly attacking Congregation Albert Synagogue and an adjacent Jewish Community Center on June 2, 2026 [1]. Albuquerque Police Department officers arrested Crofton in connection with the incidents, which caused damage estimated in the tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars [1]. The FBI Albuquerque Field Office assisted in the investigation, and the case has been referred to federal authorities for potential prosecution under federal hate crimes statutes [1].
New Mexico's hate crime enhancement applies when a defendant selects a victim based on characteristics including religion, allowing prosecutors to elevate the underlying offense tier and seek additional penalties beyond those attached to the base charges [1]. The desecration of a church count reflects a separate New Mexico statute that criminalizes intentional damage to religious property [1]. Congregation Albert is one of Albuquerque's oldest Jewish congregations, and the Jewish Community Center serves a broad cross-section of the local Jewish community, making the two targets among the most prominent Jewish institutions in the city [1].
The referral to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico opens a parallel federal track. Federal hate crimes law, principally 18 U.S.C. Section 249, criminalizes willful bodily injury or attempted injury based on religion, and a companion statute, 18 U.S.C. Section 247, specifically prohibits intentional damage to religious property where the offense is in or affects interstate commerce [1]. A federal prosecution would carry sentencing exposure independent of and potentially in addition to any state conviction. No federal charges had been filed as of the date of reporting, and the U.S. Attorney's Office had not announced a charging decision [1].
Crofton's case remains in early state proceedings. The extent of property damage, if confirmed at the higher end of current estimates, could affect the felony grade of the criminal damage counts under New Mexico law, which calibrates charge severity to dollar thresholds [1]. Defense counsel, if any has entered an appearance, was not identified in available reporting. The next procedural steps will likely include an arraignment on the state charges and a determination by federal prosecutors on whether to file a parallel or superseding federal indictment.