Man sentenced for threatening advocates
Published: Wed, Oct. 01, 2008 11:29AM
Modified Wed, Oct. 01, 2008 12:06PM
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closeRALEIGH -- A Raleigh man will serve 45 days in federal prison for sending death threats to Hispanic and Islamic advocacy groups.
Christopher Michael Szaz, 42, also must remain on a year of supervised release and perform 100 hours of community service with an Islamic or Hispanic group under the sentence imposed by U.S. Magistrate Judge James E. Gates.
Szaz pleaded guilty Tuesday to sending graphic threats to the National Council of La Raza and the Council of American-Islamic relations, both based in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors said he sent two e-mail messages on June 8, 2007, threatening to bomb the CAIR office and an e-mail message to La Raza on July 27, 2007, threatening to kill employees. He testified this week that he sent the messages while extremely drunk and never intended to carry out the threats.
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Advocates said Szaz's prosecution was a reminder to an increasingly hostile faction of the immigration debate.
"I think they sit down at their keyboards and they think they can write anything to anyone," said Janet Murguia, the president of La Raza. "The First Amendment does not protect death threats."
kristin.collins@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-4881
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