Texas

A Texas man has been charged with a federal hate crime for making threats against the employees of a Sikh nonprofit organization.

According to the complaint, on or about Sept. 17, 2022, the defendant called an organization that advocates for the civil rights of Sikh individuals within the United States. Over the next hour, the defendant left seven voicemails expressing extreme hatred toward Sikh individuals working at this same organization and threatening to injure or kill these individuals with a razor. The voicemails, which were filled with violent imagery and obscenity, contained references to places, people and tenets that are particularly significant within the Sikh religion. In March, the defendant again called the Sikh organization and left two more threatening voicemails

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

Charges: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-charged-federal-hate-crime-making-threats-against-employees-sikh-organization

A Texas man was sentenced to more than two years in prison for sending a series of antisemitic death threats.

From December 2022 through January 2023, the defendant sent death threats over email to two former coworkers.  The emails detailed how he planned to murder them and included photographs of pipe bombs, ammunition, and a firearm.  The emails also included personal information about the victims and their families.

These threats were part of a larger pattern of death threats sent to people in his life, as well as politicians, judges, and prosecutors.  In these threats, the defendant consistently used violent, threatening language that targeted Jewish people.

The defendant pleaded guilty two days into the trial.

Sentencing: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/texas-man-sentenced-27-months-prison-sending-antisemitic-death-threats

A Texas man was sentenced to 37 years in prison after a shooting at a car repair shop targeting Muslim employees and customers.

According to evidence, the defendant went to a car repair shop, made anti-Muslim statements, and pledged he would return to the business. A few days later, on December 24, 2015, the defendant asked customers if they were Muslim and opened fire. That day he shot and killed one person and attempted to kill three other people. As he was leaving, he attempted to kill a fourth person with his vehicle.

The defendant was charged with a federal hate crime and pleaded guilty in September 2023.

Sentencing: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-sentenced-hate-crimes-following-mass-shooting-targeting-muslims-car-repair-shop

Guilty Plea: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-pleads-guilty-hate-crime-charges

Indictment: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-indicted-hate-crime-shooting

A Texas man was sentenced to three months in prison for threatening a Boston doctor who provided care to gender nonconforming children.

After misinformation spread online about procedures being performed at the Boston Children’s Hospital, the defendant left a voicemail at the Boston-based National LGBTQIA+ Center, threatening to kill one of the Center’s affiliated doctors.

The man continued to try and contact the doctor, even calling a former employer and the university where the doctor worked.

Indictment: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/texas-man-indicted-threatening-doctor-affiliated-national-lgbtqia-health-education

Sentencing: District of Massachusetts | Texas Man Who Threatened Doctor Serving Transgender Patients Sentenced to Three Months in Prison | United States Department of Justice

A New Mexico man has been sentenced to a year in prison after threatening to kill an elected Texas official.

The man left a voicemail for a Texas congresswoman in which he threatened to shoot her in the face and claimed that he was part of a movement to eradicate transgender people in government. The defendant admitted he threatened her because he mistakenly believed she was transgender. 

Sentencing: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/las-cruces-man-sentenced-1-year-prison-threatening-us-congresswoman   

A Texas man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for setting fire to Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Austin, Texas.

When the defendant pleaded guilty, he admitted to targeting the synagogue because of his hatred of Jewish people. The man also possessed journals, decals, and stickers expressing antisemitic messages.  

Guilty Plea: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-sentenced-antisemitic-hate-crime-after-seeking-burn-down-synagogue

A grand jury charged a Michigan man for threatening to kill Jewish people who work in the Michigan government using Twitter.

According to the charges, on February 17, 2023, the defendant tweeted a series of threats while in Texas, including “I’m heading back to Michigan now threatening to carry out the punishment of death to anyone that is jewish in the Michigan govt if they don’t leave, or confess.”

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

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/michigan-resident-indicted-hate-crime-threatening-kill-jewish-government-officials

A Texas man was sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences in prison for carrying out a mass shooting at the Cielo Vista Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on Aug. 3, 2019, killing 23 people and injuring 22 more.

The defendant admitted that he killed and wounded people at the Walmart because of the national origin of the people he expected to be at the Walmart. He also admitted that he intended to kill everyone he shot.

The defendant wrote a manifesto and uploaded it to social media minutes before he launched his attack. In it, he characterized himself as a white nationalist, motivated to kill Hispanics because they were immigrating to the United States. He admitted selecting El Paso, a border city, as his target to stop Mexican and other Hispanic immigrants from coming to the United States.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-sentenced-90-consecutive-life-sentences-2019-mass-shooting-walmart-el-paso-texas

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx/pr/federal-grand-jury-el-paso-returns-superseding-indictment-against-patrick-crusius

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-pleads-guilty-90-federal-hate-crimes-and-firearms-violations-august-2019-mass

Video of Press Conference: https://www.justice.gov/opa/video/texas-man-charged-federal-hate-crimes-and-firearm-offenses-related-august-3-2019-mass

Remarks from Civil Rights Division: https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/remarks-assistant-attorney-general-eric-dreiband-announcing-united-states-v-patrick-wood

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx/pr/texas-man-charged-federal-hate-crimes-and-firearm-offenses-related-august-3-2019-mass

A Texas man pleaded guilty to a hate crime and arson for setting fire to a synagogue. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

On October 31, 2021, the defendant was spotted on a surveillance video carrying a five-gallon container and toilet paper toward the synagogue. Moments later, a fire broke out. A security camera recorded the defendant jogging away from the fire. The defendant admitted that he targeted the synagogue because of his hatred of Jews, and kept a journal filled with antisemitic statements.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-pleads-guilty-hate-crime-and-arson-setting-fire-synagogue

A federal grand jury indicted a Texas man for killing one person and attempting to kill four others during an attack at Omar’s Wheels and Tires, a Muslim-owned business, because of their religious beliefs.

According to evidence, the defendant went to Omar’s Wheels and Tires on December 24, 2015, shot and killed one person and attempted to kill three other people. As he was leaving, he attempted to kill a fourth person with his vehicle.

An indictment is a serious accusation. But the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-indicted-hate-crime-shooting

A Texas man was sentenced to 25 years in prison on hate crime charges for attacking an Asian family he believed was Chinese and therefore responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The man admitted that he entered Sam’s Club Warehouse in Midland, Texas, behind an Asian family with young children on March 14, 2020. He had never seen the family before and believed they were Chinese. He followed the family for several minutes because he thought they were “from the country who started spreading that disease around.” He found a serrated steak knife in the store, and cut the father in the face. He left the scene, only to retrieve another knife from the store. When he returned, he attacked the family’s two young children – then aged 6 and 2 years old – who were seated in the front basket of the shopping cart, slashing open the face of the six-year-old child. He also stabbed a Sam’s Club employee who intervened. While witnesses held the man down, he yelled “Get out of America!” at the family. The defendant admitted attempting to kill the 6-year-old child. He also admitted that he attacked the store employee because they prevented him from killing the child.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-sentenced-hate-crime-charges-attacking-asian-family

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-pleads-guilty-hate-crime-charges-attacking-asian-family

A federal grand jury indicted a man for intentionally setting fire to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Austin on October 31, 2021.

According to evidence, on October 31, 2021, a man set fire to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue. Security video from that day shows the man moving toward the synagogue’s sanctuary. Moments later, video shows the glow of fire coming from the sanctuary. Then, it shows the man jogging away from the fire to an open vehicle.

No one was injured, but the fire caused over $200,000 in damage. The vehicle seen in the surveillance video was later traced to the defendant. On November 10, 2021, the FBI searched his house. During the search, agents found items like those seen on security videos, including the clothing worn by the defendant. The defendant also had journals with writings about the fire and his hatred of Jewish people.

The defendant faces at least 10 years and up to 60 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or twice the loss suffered by the victim, and additional fees for the amount of damage caused.

An indictment is a serious accusation. A defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-charged-civil-rights-violations-setting-fire-synagogue

A federal court sentenced a Washington man to seven years in prison for his role in a plot to threaten journalists and advocates. The man, a leader of the Neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, targeted people who were working against anti-Semitism. Three others pled guilty for their roles in the plot in prior hearings.

According to evidence, the participants in this plot made threatening posters. The posters contained Nazi symbols, threatening language and imagery. The posters were then distributed to members of Atomwaffen Division online. Members of the hate-group then delivered or mailed the posters to targeted journalists and advocates.

In Seattle, the group sent posters to a TV journalist who had reported on Atomwaffen Division. The posters were also sent to members of the Anti-Defamation League, a leading Jewish civil rights organization. The group also targeted journalists in Phoenix and Tampa for reporting on anti-Semitism.

Complaint: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/press-release/file/1252306/download

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/arrests-four-states-racially-motivated-violent-extremists-targeting-journalists-and

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/leader-neo-nazi-group-sentenced-plot-target-journalists-and-advocates

Four Texas men have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in a scheme to target gay men for violent crimes: one to more than 11 years, another to 22 years, a third to 20 years, and most recently, a fourth was sentenced to more than 23 years.

The four defendants admitted that they conspired to target men in and around Dallas for violent crimes. Using Grindr, a social media dating platform used primarily by gay men, the defendants lured men to an apartment complex in Dallas. When the men arrived, the defendants held the men at gunpoint and forced them to drive to local ATMs to withdraw cash from their accounts. While the victims were held at gunpoint, some were physically assaulted, at least one victim was sexually assaulted, and all of the victims were taunted with gay slurs.

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-sentenced-hate-crime-and-other-charges-after-using-dating-app-target-gay-men

Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-texas-men-sentenced-prison-using-dating-app-target-gay-men-violent-crimes

A Texas man was sentenced to 24 years in prison for burning down the Victoria Islamic Center in January 2017. A week before the fire, the defendant broke into the mosque. The search of the defendant's home found stolen property from the mosque. A witness who was with the defendant on the night of the fire described how he used a lighter to set papers on fire inside the mosque and how excited he was to see the mosque in flames minutes after. The witness testified that the defendant said he burned down the mosque because he wanted to "send a message."

Sentencing: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/texas-man-sentenced-almost-25-years-hate-crime-burning-down-mosque-victoria-texas