Tacoma – A 42-year-old Thurston County man, Steven L. Veres, was handed a 30-month prison sentence for making racially motivated threats against a Black federal employee at the Social Security office in Olympia, Washington, according to U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.
Veres, initially charged in July 2023, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to Influencing a Federal Official by Threat. U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle pointed out Veres’s repeated legal infractions during sentencing: “Your criminal history shows a disrespect for the law.”
“This defendant used racial slurs not only in this case but also in social media messages from 2020, where he threatened to assault or kill another Black victim,” U.S. Attorney Gorman stated. “His actions today are a result of his hate-filled mindset.”
The records indicate that on February 16, 2023, Veres and an accomplice attempted to obtain a replacement Social Security card. When denied due to insufficient paperwork, Veres threatened assault and murder, while also using racial slurs.
Veres’s sentence includes a hate-crimes enhancement, reflecting his targeted victim based on race or color. The plea agreement called for the 30-month term, given his extensive criminal history and poor record of supervision.
Following release from prison, Veres will be under federal supervision for three years. Grays Harbor County agreed to dismiss an unrelated charge of attempting to elude a police officer as part of the plea agreement.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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