UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — A Chesterfield, Missouri, man was charged with two hate crimes Sunday after police said he spray-painted a church and an Asian restaurant last year.
Frankie Rizzello was charged Sunday with property damage motivated by discrimination in connection with two incidents that police said happened between January 1 and Oct. 11, 2023.
According to charging documents, Rizzello and others spray-painted the name of a white nationalist group on One Family Church and PokeDoke Asian Cuisine Restaurant, both of which were located on the same block of Delmar Boulevard in University City. The charges said the damage to each of the buildings exceeded $750.
According to charging documents, Rizzello told police he helped vandalize the buildings and told officers he "didn't like Blacks or Jews."
Police said Rizzello "armed himself with a rifle" when officers first tried to approach him and searched the Internet for the penalty for killing a police officer, according to charging documents. The charging documents said he also threatened people living in his apartment complex based on their race, religion and sexual preference.
A judge set Rizzello's bond at $250,000, cash only.
