New Jersey man who carved swastika into lawn of family he harassed gets 15 months in prison

TOMS RIVER, N.J. – A New Jersey man who carved a swastika into the lawn of a family he had harassed has been sentenced to 15 months in prison.

Scott Cooney of Lakewood was sentenced Friday. He had pleaded guilty in June to bias intimidation.

The judge said Cooney had written threatening and bias letters to the victims despite an order not to have contact with them.

Authorities say Cooney repeatedly harassed and threatened the family over several months before he went to their home last August and used a lead pipe to carve the swastika into their lawn. The family stayed inside their home because they did not want to provoke a confrontation.

Once Cooney left, they took a photo of the swastika and contacted police. Cooney was arrested a few days later.