PACIFIC PALISADES—On June 18, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that Bruce Alred Lion, 64, one of the heirs to Lion’s Raisin, a large independent raisin manufacturer based in Selma, California has been charged following his arrest on June 13.
Lion has been charged with three felony hate crimes, including two counts of making criminal threats and one count of violating civil rights. It is alleged that around 8 p.m. on June 5, Bruce, while standing on the balcony of his residence in Pacific Palisades, threatened to kill a neighbor, Rabbi Zushe Cunin, of Chabad of Pacific Palisades, while the Rabbi was leading Shabbat prayers, the start of the weekly observance of the Sabbath, the holy day.
The New York Post obtained videos showing alleged antisemitic comments made by Lion. In one video he made the following statement, “I ain’t going nowhere Jew boy, lose some f—ing weight. Go f—ing work. Do something for a change. Your fake f—ing gospel don’t mean s—t. You’re f—ing done. You kill Jesus, you’re going to f—ing hell. Do you understand?”
He also threatened to pull the rabbi’s nose.
Cunin claims the incidents have transpired since Lion purchased his home in March 2026. He also claims that these actions have disrupted services. Bruce denies making some of the alleged remarks and claims that individuals associated with the Chabad were responsible for the disputes.
A video of Lion on his snapchat page shows him topless outside a Chahad in Los Angeles synagogue claiming he wants to buy it and as he moves down the street saying that “it looks brand new because of the fire” and while pointing to several building saying that it is out business and “that the jews burn it down to rebuild it can you believe that s**t because the Shabbat center over there, they’re fake as f**k and then their saying they’re happy they killed Jesus” and after a while of walking saying “stupid f**king Jews.”
After a while of pointing a several buildings states they “stole a hundred million dollars from my family” and then after talking about several banks saying “Charles Schwab’s a no good f**ing kike and he’s happy he killed Jesus.”
There is also a video on Instagram of the arrest where the defendant says, “Hey, F you jews. You’re going to hell. I f***ing turn my music down for you f**ing c***suckers. You killed those f**ing kids. You f***ing murders. Are you Jewish boy? 666? Hey are you Jewish boy? Because it started 5 days ago. Judgment day, motherf***er. Tell your friends I knocked on your door and you didn’t answer. And I’m moving tomorrow to another house next door that I bought with 100% f..ing cash. Hey motherf***rr Hey listen you c***sucker I’ll f***ing hurt you. Hey, f** you. Hey. Take my money. Take my money. Take my money. Take my money.”
Lion’s bail was set at $225,000. If found guilty, he faces a potential sentence of 9 years and 4 months in a California state prison. His arraignment was scheduled for June 18, but the judge rescheduled it twice after the defendant chose not to leave his cell.
On June 17, Lion Raisins, founded in 1903, released a statement condemning the actions Bruce Lion is alleged to have committed and stating that he is not involved in the company’s daily operations. It is unknown whether he is still an heir or has any connection to the company.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing and is being handled by the West Los Angeles Division of the LAPD. No additional information has been released.
