A man from Tooele, Utah, has been handed down a six-month prison sentence for issuing violent threats against employees of a D.C.-based Palestinian rights organization. According to a U.S. Department of Justice release, 64-year-old Kevin Brent Buchanan pleaded guilty to the charges and, alongside his incarceration, will serve three years of supervised release. The release also mandates his participation in an approved mental health program.
Buchanan's threats were made through voicemail messages left for members of the organization between October 31 and November 2, 2023. The DOJ announcement quoted him as stating, "Your families are going to be followed and watched; You don't even belong in America; I hope every Muslim in the United States [expletive] croaks; and You are all going to [expletive] die, you pieces of [expletive] traitors." Buchanan admitted to having intentionally targeted the group due to their Palestinian heritage and advocacy work on behalf of Palestinians.
His sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office also joining in the announcement. The case was the product of an investigation conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office and was prosecuted by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division's Criminal Section, as per the U.S. Department of Justice.
U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly imposed the sentence, underscoring the seriousness of the threats and Buchanan’s deliberate targeting of individuals because of their ethnic background and political advocacy. The judge said the defendant clearly attempted to intimidate and instill fear in the victims during the sentencing hearing. Buchanan is expected to begin serving his prison term soon, after which he will be placed under an extended period of supervised release aimed at rehabilitation and protecting the community.
