Dante Phearse, Threats to a Synagogue, Texas 2013

HOUSTON, Texas – In a disturbing case of hate crime, Dante Phearse, 33, has entered a guilty plea to making a bomb threat to Congregation Beth Israel, a synagogue in Houston, Texas.

The guilty plea, which was announced jointly by the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, stems from a threatening phone call made on April 30, 2013, in which Phearse willfully obstructed members of Congregation Beth Israel from enjoying the free exercise of their religious beliefs by threatening to bomb the synagogue.

As a result of the threats, the school at Congregation Beth Israel was closed for a day and extra security was hired to guard the synagogue and school, thus obstructing the synagogue’s members in the enjoyment of the free exercise of their religious beliefs.

Phearse pleaded guilty to the civil rights violation of threatening to bomb a synagogue and to making a telephone bomb threat. As part of his plea, he admitted to using an instrument of interstate commerce to communicate a threat to kill and injure people and to destroy a building by means of an explosive device.

The FBI investigated the case with the assistance of the Houston Police Department. Civil Rights Division Trial Attorneys Nicholas Murphy and Saeed Mody, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ruben Perez and Joe Magliolo are prosecuting in cooperation with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

Phearse faces a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison for the civil rights violation and a maximum sentence of 10 years for making bomb threats over the telephone. U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt accepted the plea today and has sentencing scheduled for July 7, 2014.

The guilty plea is a significant step towards bringing justice to the members of Congregation Beth Israel, who were subjected to a terrifying ordeal due to Phearse’s threats. The case highlights the importance of taking hate crimes seriously and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.

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