BROOKLINE, Massachusetts — A visiting Harvard Law School professor has agreed to leave the United States after pleading guilty to illegally discharging a pellet gun near a synagogue, an incident authorities say was not motivated by antisemitism. Carlos Portugal Gouvea, a Brazilian national and scholar at Harvard, admitted in court last month that he fired a BB gun near Temple Beth Zion on the eve of Yom Kippur, telling officers he was “hunting rats” in the area.
Local police said Gouvea appeared unaware he was next to a synagogue during a major Jewish holiday, and the congregation later told its community it had “no reason to believe” the incident was antisemitic. Still, the gunfire prompted a lockdown and shattered a nearby car window. Gouvea initially faced four charges, including vandalism, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace, but accepted a plea deal that left him with six months of pretrial probation.
Despite the lack of antisemitic motive, the U.S. State Department revoked his J-1 visa, leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain him this week. He has agreed to voluntarily depart the country rather than face deportation proceedings. DHS officials framed the case as part of broader federal efforts to scrutinize antisemitic activity, while synagogue leaders emphasized the danger of the act without mischaracterizing its intent.
Gouvea, an associate professor at the University of São Paulo, taught at Harvard during the fall semester and will return to Brazil following his release.
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