William J. Edwards, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cleveland, Ohio, announced that on May 15, 2008, David A. Tuason of Pepper Pike, Ohio, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent to all counts of an eight-count indictment charging Tuason with two counts of transmitting threatening interstate communications and six counts of mailing threatening communications. Judge Nugent scheduled sentencing for July 24, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. Tuason remains in custody pending sentencing.

Tuason pleaded guilty to engaging in an elaborate scheme of sending racially-motivated threatening communications, via the United States Postal Service and electronic mail, intended to threaten with bodily injury and intimidate African-American men known to be married to or associated with white women. Victims of the threatening communications included an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, athletes, entertainers and children of mixed-race parents. The threatening communications were sent to victims both locally and interstate.

The indictment did not use the full names of the victims as federal law, Title 18, United States Code, Section 3771(a)(8), encourages prosecutors to respect victims’ privacy rights. The Department of Justice requests that everyone respect these rights.

Acting U.S. Attorney William J. Edwards stated: “It was the persistence of the Federal Bureau of the Investigation over many years that resulted in this prosecution. We are gratified that the investigation not only solved cases involving nationally prominent victims but also redressed matters involving victims who are local residents of our community. Whether a citizen be ordinary or nationally prominent, no person should be required to endure the types of threatening communications involved in this case. Persons who may be tempted to send such communications either by U.S. mail or by computer technology should realize that their actions will be investigated and prosecuted vigorously.”

Special Agent-in-Charge Figliuzzi stated: “There is no room for hate crimes in a civil society. For 20 years, the FBI never gave up on a search for the writer of these violent and hate-filled letters and our dedication to this case reflects our dedication to tenaciously enforcing the civil rights laws of our nation.”

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dean M. Valore and Benita Y. Pearson, with the assistance of Trial Attorney Kristy Parker of the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice. The prosecution followed a lengthy investigation by the Cleveland Division of the FBI. Special agents from the Civil Rights Squad in Cleveland and the Painesville Resident Agency participated in the investigation.