Maryland Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Making Online Threats

Baltimore, Maryland - A Maryland man learned his fate in federal court, today, for making online threats.

U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson sentenced Raymond Pumphrey, 47, of Brooklyn, to 15 months, followed by three years of supervised release, for making threats transmitted by interstate communication in connection with the cybercrime.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Harmeet K. Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division; Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Brian McDonough, U.S. Secret Service (USSS) - Baltimore Field Office.

According to the guilty plea, Pumphrey made a series of threatening posts on the social media platform YouTube, and other social media sites, to spread hateful rhetoric - particularly toward Black and Muslim communities. Commenting primarily on news stories, he advocated for and threatened to participate in the killing of black people in multiple large cities throughout the country. He further threatened to kill multiple politicians and members of their families.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and USSS for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Maryam Zhuravitsky who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.

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