An Olympia, Washington man copped to a hate crime on Monday for his vitriolic tirade and threat against a Black federal employee, the Justice Department reports. Steven L. Veres, aged 42, entered a guilty plea for threatening a worker at the Olympia Social Security office after being told he lacked the necessary documents for a new Social Security card.
The incident, which took place on February 16, 2023, quickly escalated as Veres unleashed a barrage of racial slurs at the employee and threatened violence. In the courtroom, he admitted to "Influencing a Federal Official by Threat" and agreed to a sentencing enhancement for committing a hate crime based on the victim's race or color, according to the U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman's announcement.
This legal acknowledgment that Veres's actions were motivated by racial animosity adds three levels to his offense. Per the plea agreement, both the defense and prosecution will recommend a 30-month prison term to U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle, who will decide Veres's fate on June 25. If Settle accepts the plea deal, it will bind the court to the suggested sentence.
As a part of deal, an unrelated case against Veres in Grays Harbor County for attempting to elude police will be dismissed. This case showed the coordinated efforts of the Federal Protective Service and the U.S. Attorney's Office, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Will Dreher, Jocelyn Cooney, and Elyne Vaught leading the prosecution in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
