Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime for Threatening Mosque
A South Florida man has admitted to making a hate-filled phone call threatening to blow up a mosque in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Dustin Allen Hughes, 26, of Cutler Bay, Florida, pleaded guilty yesterday in the Southern District of Florida to one count of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs through the threatened use of a dangerous weapon and explosive.
According to court documents, on May 5, Hughes called an emergency contact for the Jamaat Ul Muttaqeen Mosque of Pembroke Pines, Florida, and left a voicemail message denigrating Islam and threatening to blow up the mosque. In the message, Hughes stated that he had a detonator and that he was going to blow up the mosque, leaving the victims in flames.
Following the threatening voice message, law enforcement was contacted and immediately responded, but no bomb was uncovered after an extensive exterior and interior sweep of the mosque.
Hughes faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for September 6 before U.S. District Judge Federico A. Moreno in Miami.
The Justice Department will not tolerate threats of hate violence, which threaten an entire community’s sense of safety and security, said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute hate crimes so that all people, no matter how they worship, can live their lives freely and without fear.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The Pembroke Pines Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, and the City of Miami Police Department also provided assistance with this matter.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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