Authorities have made an arrest in South Carolina after a series of hate-motivated threats were made towards a news reporter and her family. The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy, announced the apprehension of Austin Suman on charges of sending menacing messages filled with violent language and racial epithets.
Arrested in Myrtle Beach, Suman stands accused of threatening the reporter with death and destruction, saying in an email, "I will end you and your family." According to the complaint filed, the threats included racist slurs and misogynistic language that appeared motivated partly by an article the reporter previously wrote on Suman's past legal trouble involving firearms. Dennehy remarked on Suman's alleged threats to inflict harm, "Hiding behind a screen will not prevent the FBI’s pursuit of those who target others with hateful messages of violence and death," indicating the gravity with which the bureau views such cases, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Reported threats included explicit mentions of firearms and explosives. Suman boasted about his arsenal, "I have more guns than ever," including "ful[ly] auto[matic]” weapons, stoking fear and demonstrating a blatant disregard for the safety of the journalist and her family. While the reporter's identity has not been released, the attacks on her gender and ethnicity were explicitly outlined, with Suman reportedly using terms such as "dumb spick" and "[D]umb fuckin cunt . . . female journalist what a joke," according to details in the official complaint release by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The specific charges levied against Suman, a 35-year-old Myrtle Beach resident, include threatening interstate communications, willfully making a threat involving explosives, and interstate stalking. Each of these charges could land him a maximum sentence of five to ten years in prison, as declared by the prosecution team led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reyhan Watson. Although these are the maximum potential sentences provided by Congress, actual sentencing will be at the judge's discretion after a full legal evaluation of the case.
