Moorpark mosque hate crime defendant pleads not guilty

A Moorpark man charged with a hate crime at a local mosque pleaded not guilty to all charges on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Anthony Casten faces one felony count of violating civil rights and one misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace by challenging to fight, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. He entered his plea during an arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court.

The charges stem from a Sept. 23 incident outside Masjid Omar Muhammad Mosque. Around 7 p.m. that evening, Casten allegedly yelled outside the mosque and disrupted a prayer meeting, the DA's office said. When congregants came outside, he allegedly threatened to batter a mosque member and used derogatory slurs.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department deputies arrested Casten about a block from the mosque.

Casten is out of custody after posting $20,000 bail. His next court appearance is an early disposition conference scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 12 of Ventura County Superior Court. The case number is 26CF101741.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Hayley Moyer of the Major Crimes Division is prosecuting the case. District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced the charges on Friday, Oct. 9.

Casten has not been convicted. The felony civil rights charge falls under California Penal Code Section 422.6(a).

The Moorpark case is not the only incident targeting a mosque in the area this year. In April, CAIR-LA condemned a separate hate incident at the Islamic Society of Simi Valley, about 10 miles from the Moorpark mosque. Hate material had been left outside the building's front door, according to the organization. CAIR-LA also reported that two other Southern California mosques in Claremont and La Mirada received threatening communications around the same time.

Statewide, the California Attorney General's 2025 Hate Crime Report recorded a 58 percent increase in reported anti-Muslim bias events from 2024 to 2025, according to CAIR-CA.

Residents who witness a hate crime or hate incident can report it to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.