A Dallas County, Texas resident has been sentenced to 26 months in prison for committing a federal hate crime and making violent threats against individuals based on their religion. The sentencing was announced by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey.
Bhushan Athale, aged 49, had previously admitted guilt before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in Camden federal court. He pleaded guilty to charges of interfering with federally protected activities through threats involving a dangerous weapon and transmitting interstate threats intending to harm others.
Court documents revealed that on September 17, 2022, Athale made several threatening calls to an organization advocating for Sikh civil rights in the United States. His messages included specific threats of violence using a razor. On March 21, 2024, he repeated his actions by leaving two more voicemails filled with violent and sexual imagery targeting Sikhs and Muslims.
“The Department of Justice has no tolerance for hate-fueled threats of violence in our country, and we appreciate the strong efforts of U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and her team in working with us to bring this perpetrator to justice,” stated Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon.
In addition to his prison sentence, Athale will serve three years under supervised release and is prohibited from contacting any victims involved in his offenses.
U.S. Attorney Alina Habba credited special agents from the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, led by Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, for their investigative work.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara A. Aliabadi and Jason M. Richardson from the Camden office with support from the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
