CAMDEN, N.J.
A Dallas man was sentenced to 26 months in federal prison for committing a hate crime and making violent interstate threats against individuals based on their religion, officials announced Tuesday.
This includes staff at a New Jersey-based Sikh civil rights organization, federal prosecutors announced today.
Bhushan Athale, 49, pleaded guilty to interfering with federally protected activities through threats involving a dangerous weapon and transmitting interstate threats to harm others.
According to court documents, on Sept. 17, 2022, Athale called the Sikh advocacy group multiple times, leaving a series of voicemails threatening to kill or injure its members using a razor and other graphic acts of violence.
He repeated similar threats in additional voicemails left on March 21, 2024, expressing hatred toward both Sikhs and Muslims using violent and sexually explicit language.
The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.