Man charged for helping brother flee country after hate crime conviction

The brother of a man sentenced to 30 months in prison for beating a man he thought was Jewish has now been charged for helping him escape the country, according to the Department of Justice.

Baris A. Koch, 30, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of misprision of a felony and making false statements.

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Ten days after Izmir A. Koch was sentenced to prison, Baris Koch obtained a duplicate driver’s license from the Ohio BMV, claiming he lost his previous license. On Aug. 21, he obtained another license, again claiming he had lost his previous one.

Agents discovered that Izmir Koch crossed into Mexico on Aug. 9 posing as his brother, and then used his brother’s passport to fly from Mexico to Europe. He eventually made his way to Russia, where the brothers previously lived.

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Russia and the U.S. do not have an extradition treaty.

Mail records show the brothers sent mail to each other, but on Sept. 11, Baris Koch told FBI agents he didn’t know where his brother was and hadn’t heard from him.

If convicted, Baris Koch faces up to three years in prison on the misprision of a felony charge and up to five years for making false statements to federal agents.