LOS ANGELES
A San Fernando Valley man admitted to engaging in a 14-month campaign in which he threatened a Jewish victim with violent and antisemitic rhetoric.
Andre Morrow Lackner threatened to “exterminate” Jewish people and Asian Americans, was sentenced today to three years and seven months in federal prison, officials stated Monday.
U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer sentenced Lackner, a 35-year-old resident of Northridge.
Lackner pleaded guilty on January 29 to one count of stalking. He has been in federal custody since December 2022.
From June 2021 to October 2022, Lackner sent a series of abusive text messages to the victim.
In these messages, Lackner directed a series of antisemitic remarks to the victim, including, “Hitler was right about you people,” “I want to see every single Jew exterminated from this earth,” and “Would you like to celebrate the next synagogue shooting?” and “I will make sure I kill a Jew before I leave this Earth.”
Lackner also texted the victim multiple racist statements against Asian Americans, including “We need to start more Asian hate and “wipe [Asian people] off the planet too.”
The text messages Lackner sent the victim placed her in reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury to herself or one of her immediate family members.
“Hate and intolerance, including antisemitism, is both wrong and anti-American,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Our nation is one of inclusion, not exclusion, and through this case, we send a strong message that we will not tolerate attempts to divide us.”
“The defendant admitted to stalking victims based on either their religion or their race by making vile threats for more than a year,” said Krysti Hawkins, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Today’s sentence is evidence that there is zero tolerance for criminal activity rooted in hatred, and of the FBI’s commitment to holding accountable those who seek to threaten or harm innocent victims.”
The FBI investigated this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda B. Elbogen of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section prosecuted this case.