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The U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington on Nov. 14, 2025. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
MD man sentenced for threats against Black and Muslim communities
Listen to this articleWASHINGTON – A Maryland man was sentenced by a judge on Monday to 15 months in federal prison for making online threats, particularly toward Black and Muslim communities, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson sentenced Raymond Pumphrey, 47, to 15 months, followed by three years of supervised release, the DOJ said in a statement.
According to his guilty plea, Pumphrey made a series of threatening posts on YouTube and other social media sites to spread hateful rhetoric, especially against Black and Muslim communities, the DOJ said.
He advocated for and threatened to participate in the killing of Black people in many large U.S. cities, according to the DOJ. He further threatened to kill multiple politicians and members of their families, the DOJ added.
Rights advocates have over the years warned about online racism against Black Americans due to factors like white supremacy and gaps in online content moderation. They have also noted rising Islamophobia over the years, attributing it to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; and more recently to anti-immigration policies, white supremacy and the fallout of Israel’s war in Gaza.
U.S. political experts have separately warned about political violence amid rising polarization in the country.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Sanjeev Miglani.
