A Massachusetts man, previously with an extensive criminal history, has been sentenced to over seven years in prison for issuing threats and harassment against an interracial couple on Facebook Messenger, along with attempting to obstruct justice. Stephen M. DeBerardinis of Boston and Dedham, aged 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 90 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2024, DeBerardinis entered a guilty plea on charges including transmitting threats to injure in interstate commerce, tampering with a witness, and victim by threats, intimidation, corrupt persuasion, and harassment.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy stated, “The toxic brew of racist hate, threats of violence and use of social media to amplify vile and violent attitudes is a corrosive danger to every law-abiding member of our community. The nearly eight-year sentence imposed on this defendant should send a message that when you engage in hate crimes, there is a serious price to be paid. This defendant’s horrifying and vicious threats were not only imperiled the safety and well-being of the victims here, but they were also a broadside attack on the values of equality and respect that our nation upholds. This office is deeply grateful for the victims’ courage to report this incident to law enforcement and assist us in prosecuting this important case,” as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's involvement came to light through statements by Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division. “Stephen DeBerardinis is a career criminal with multiple felony convictions who continued to demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law by sending a series of horribly racist, hate-motivated threats of brutal violence to an interracial couple he had never met,” she said.
In January 2021, DeBerardinis unleashed a barrage of racial slurs and threats of violence via Facebook Messenger, including messages like “EWWWWWWWW YOUR A N***** F***** F****** DIRTY A** WHITE TRASH,” When the couple retorted that they were reporting him to law enforcement, he responded with intimidation tactics such as "SNITCHES GET STITCHES" accompanied by a graphic image of brass knuckles, and more direct threats of physical mutilation and murder. The investigation that ensued uncovered more than 100 arrests in DeBerardinis' name over the last 24 years, and shockingly, revealed his threat against a journalist who reported negatively on him, as stated by the Department of Justice.
