California Woman Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime for Threatening to Bomb Catholic Prep School
A 36-year-old woman from San Jacinto, California, has pleaded guilty to a hate crime for threatening to bomb a Catholic prep school in Washington, D.C.
Sonia Tabizada, 36, pleaded guilty in federal court to intentionally obstructing persons in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs by threatening to bomb the Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 247.
The crime occurred in May 2019, when school officials announced that Visitation Prep, the oldest Catholic school for girls in the country, would begin publishing same-sex wedding announcements in its alumni magazine to advance its teaching that “we are all children of God … worthy of respect and love.” Tabizada learned of this announcement and made multiple calls threatening violence in response to the school’s decision.
Tabizada’s threats included a voice message stating that she was going to burn and bomb the church and kill school officials and students. She also left a second voice mail stating that she was going to blow up the school and warned that she would commit “terrorism.”
“The defendant made violent threats against high school students, religious leaders, and school officials based solely on her disagreement with a private school’s application of religious doctrine,” said Eric Drieband, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
Tabizada will be sentenced at a hearing scheduled for March 23, 2021. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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