Daniel Lee Jones, Threatening Communications, Ohio 2008
Threatening Mail Sent to Ohio Civil Rights Leader
WASHINGTON - A chilling message of hate was sent to a Lima, Ohio, civil rights leader in 2008 when Daniel Lee Jones, a 32-year-old Portland, Ore., resident, allegedly mailed a hangman's noose to Jason Upthegrove, regional director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
According to the indictment unsealed after Jones' arrest, he was a regional director of a group that advocated white supremacist ideology at the time he sent the noose. This was not the first time Jones had targeted Upthegrove, as he had previously sent hate literature to residents of Lima regarding the shooting of an African American woman by an officer employed by the Lima Police Department. Upthegrove was advocating for equal police services for African Americans and speaking out against the hate flyers.
The indictment alleges that Jones used the U.S. Postal Service to send a package that included the noose to Upthegrove's home for the purpose of intimidating him and interfering with his right to engage in public advocacy for equal police services for African Americans. The two-count federal indictment charges the defendant with interference with federally protected activities and mailing threatening communications.
A noose, as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez stated, is an unmistakable symbol of hatred and violence in our nation. Mailing a noose to an individual who advocates for racial equality sends a clear threat of violence.
Upthegrove received the noose on February 14, 2008.
If found guilty of mailing a threatening communication, Jones faces a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a potential fine of up to $250,000. If found guilty of interfering with federally protected activities, he faces a maximum punishment of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
Defendant Name: Daniel Lee Jones
Criminal Charges: Interference with federally protected activities and mailing threatening communications
City and State: Portland, Ore.
Exact Date: February 14, 2008
Sentence or Outcome: Under indictment
Dollar Amounts: $250,000 (fine), $100,000 (fine)
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →