Buxton Man Gets 12 Months in Prison for Threatening Jewish Community

A Buxton man was sentenced to 12 months in prison and three years of supervised release for transmitting a threatening interstate communication targeting the Jewish community.

In a federal court in Portland, U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy handed down the sentence to 27-year-old Brian Dennison, who was found guilty by a federal jury on December 7, 2023, following a three-day trial.

According to evidence presented during the trial, Dennison posted a threatening message on Twitter on September 8, 2021, stating, ‘I’m going to kill jews with my ar15 tomorrow.’ FBI investigators identified Dennison as the likely author of the threat and executed search warrants at his Buxton residence, where they found approximately 1,700 rounds of ammunition that could be fired from an AR-15-style rifle.

Investigators also discovered evidence of Dennison’s long-standing animus toward Jewish people. In October 2021, they executed another search warrant at the property and found an AR-15-style rifle and ammunition hidden in the woods behind the residence.

In imposing the sentence, Judge Levy noted that threats like the one Dennison communicated are corrosive and strain the fiber of our country. He also highlighted that the core liberties enshrined in the Constitution are undermined by threats based on someone’s faith.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine, Darcie McElwee, commended the FBI for its excellent investigative work in the case, stating, ‘Such repugnant threats have no place in any society.’ The Maine Joint Terrorism Task Force was also praised for its rapid response to Dennison’s threat to commit mass murder.

The FBI and U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case, with Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, Jodi Cohen, emphasizing that ‘hate has no place here in Maine, and the fact that Mr. Dennison had the actual means to carry out his articulated threat is chilling.’

The sentence serves as a reminder that threats against any community will be taken seriously and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Brian Dennison, 27, of Buxton, Maine, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

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