SWAMPSCOTT — A Dracut man is being held in the Essex County House of Correction following a court hearing on felony and misdemeanor charges alleging he damaged a Swampscott synagogue and committed a civil rights violation.
Nick Ashtar-Zadeh was arraigned Tuesday in Lynn District Court on charges of destruction or threats to destroy a place of worship causing more than $5,000 in property damage, malicious destruction of property over $1,200, civil rights violation, and property damage to intimidate.
According to Swampscott Police, officers responded to Congregation Shirat Hayam of the North Shore on Atlantic Avenue at approximately 7:31 a.m. on June 30, after receiving a report of suspicious activity involving a motor vehicle that had damaged property at the temple. Detectives were able to identify both the vehicle and its operator, police said, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant.
Police said Ashtar-Zadeh was located Monday night by Saugus police and arrested on the Swampscott warrant before being transported to Lynn District Court for arraignment.
Court records show prosecutors charged Ashtar-Zadeh with two felonies: destruction or threats to destroy a place of worship and malicious destruction of property. Ashtar-Zadeh is also charged with a misdemeanor civil rights violation carrying a threshold incarceration period of 100 days or more, and a misdemeanor for property damage to intimidate.
During Tuesday’s arraignment before Judge Leo S. Fama, bail was set at $3,000 cash. According to the court docket, Ashtar-Zadeh was committed to the Essex County House of Correction in lieu of posting bail. The docket also notes that his bail was revoked for 90 days in a separate Lawrence District Court case, and a motion to revoke bail or conditions of bail was allowed.
Federal court records show Ashtar-Zadeh has a prior criminal conviction. In 2025, he was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Boston after pleading guilty to wire fraud in connection with an online cosmetics sales scheme. According to federal prosecutors, he accepted payments for cosmetic products that were never delivered to customers. He received a prison sentence, followed by supervised release, and was ordered to pay over $100,000 in restitution.
The current charges are unrelated to that federal case.
A pretrial hearing has been scheduled virtually for August 7 in Lynn District Court. The case remains pending.
In a statement released Tuesday, Swampscott Police said questions regarding the prosecution should be directed to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. The department also noted that Ashtar-Zadeh is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
