HLS Visiting Professor Takes Plea Deal For Firing Pellet Gun Near Brookline Synagogue

A Harvard Law School visiting professor who pleaded not guilty to firing a pellet gun near a Brookline synagogue had three of the four charges against him dismissed as part of a Nov. 13 plea deal.

Carlos Portugal Gouvea allegedly fired two shots outside of Temple Beth Zion on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Gouvea told the police he was hunting rats, and the synagogue wrote to its members that they did not believe the incident was motivated by antisemitism.

Gouvea was charged in the Brookline District Court with vandalizing property — a felony — and three misdemeanors: disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and illegally discharging a pellet gun.

Gouvea took a plea deal to have three of his charges dismissed, according to a statement from David Linton, the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office spokesman. The remaining charge of illegally discharging a pellet gun required Gouvea to pay $386.59 in restitution to the individual whose car window he broke with a pellet. Gouveau also agreed to six months of pre-trial probation, which will last until April 6, 2026.

While his legal battles are coming to a close, Gouveau has already faced significant personal ramifications because of the incident. HLS placed Gouvea on administrative leave pending the investigation. The University of Sao Paulo, where Gouvea is a professor, repudiated the “malicious and distorted” insinuations that the incident was fueled by antisemitism.

The synagogue leaders told their affiliates that the event “does not appear to have been fueled by antisemitism” in an email following the incident. The synagogue’s president, Larry Kraus, and executive director, Benjamin Maron, wrote to affiliates that they were told by police Gouvea was “unaware that he lived next to, and was shooting his BB gun next to, a synagogue or that it was a religious holiday.”

Gouvea and his attorney did not immediately answer a request for comment. Linton confirmed in a statement to The Crimson that as part of a plea argument the charges were dismissed.

—Staff writer Dionise Guerra-Carrillo can be reached at dionise.guerracarrillo@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Claire A. Michal can be reached at claire.michal@thecrimson.com.