A Miami man with a history of sending threats online has been slapped with a 40-month prison sentence for contempt of court, federal authorities announced. Matthew James Choy had been trying to quickly get his racist messages and threats into the judicial system's electronic veins, abusing the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CME/ECF) system in doing so.
Choy's sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga on December 19, following his guilty plea. Even while already serving time for previous threats made via the internet, Choy managed to write and send several handwritten letters and motions filled with racial slurs and violent language via the court's electronic filing system. Among the disturbing content Choy transmitted were statements like "I give up, as long as I get to see the blood spray out of [victim 1’s] neck when I get out, I’ll consider it even," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
These actions caused significant disruptions to the court's operations, clogging up the administrative process with alarming and hate-filled submissions that court staff were obligated to review and act upon. The aggressive manner in which Choy carried out these offenses was found to be an attempt to deliberately derail the court proceedings.
Upon completing his prison term, Choy will also be under supervised release for three years with strict conditions, including an order to avoid contact with any victims or court staff. As per the announcement by U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe and Jeffrey B. Veltri, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Miami Field Office, these measures are meant to ensure that any further attempts by Choy to disrupt the justice system are kept firmly in check. The severity of the sentence reflects the broader societal condemnation of such hate-fueled actions within the judicial framework
