Tennessee

A Kansas man was charged with two hate crimes for threatening to attack a Nashville Pride event.

According to the charges, on April 26, 2023, the defendant posted comments on the social media account for Nashville Pride threatening to “make shrapnel pressure cooker bombs for this event.” In another comment posted the same day, the defendant threatened to “commit a mass shooting.”

These are serious allegations. But the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdtn/pr/kansas-man-facing-federal-charges-making-online-threats-toward-nashville-pride-event

A federal court sentenced a Tennessee man to seven years in prison for setting fire to four Nashville area churches.

According to evidence, the man intentionally set fire to the Crievewood United Methodist Church on June 17, 2019; the Crievewood Baptist Church on June 25, 2019; the Saint Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church on June 25, 2019; and the Priest Lake Community Baptist Church on June 26, 2019, all because of their religious character. The fires resulted in significant damage to all four churches.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/tennessee-man-sentenced-seven-years-series-church-arsons

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/tennessee-man-charged-civil-rights-violations-series-church-arsons

A Tennessee man pled guilty to a federal hate crime offense for assaulting two girls and their father.

On October 24, 2017, he yelled “Allahu Akbar!” and “Go back to your country!” at two teenage girls wearing hijabs. He later attacked and injured the girls’ father by swinging a knife and punching at him. When the girls’ mother arrived on the scene with her young child in her car, he chased after them with his knife still drawn. After being taken into custody, the defendant made derogatory comments about the family, pledged to kill them when the police released him, and admitted that he carried out this assault because of the actual and perceived religion and national origin of the victims.

He will be sentenced on October 7, 2021.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/tennessee-man-pleads-guilty-federal-hate-crime

• October 31, 2024 | U.S. Attorney’s Office for Western District of Tennessee Hosts “Protecting Places of Worship” Forum 
• October 16, 2024 | Protecting Places of Worship Forum to be Held in Memphis
• January 8, 2024 | Highlights From Memphis United Against Hate Community Event at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
• July 10, 2023 | U.S. Attorney for Western District of Tennessee Launches National Security and Civil Rights Unit
• April 3, 2023 | U.S. Attorney’s Office for Western District of Tennessee Unveils New Initiative for Area Youth to Identify, Report and Prevent Hate Crimes
• February 16, 2022 | Tennessee Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Series of Church Arsons
• August 25, 2021 | FBI Memphis and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee Urge the Public to Report Hate Crimes
• August 25, 2021 | Tennessee Man Charged with Civil Rights Violations for Series of Church Arsons
• May 17, 2021 | Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime
• April 9, 2018 | Nashville Man Indicted for Hate Crime and Lying to the FBI