Mississippi man pleads guilty to making antisemetic phone calls to Pa. synagogues, Jewish-owned businesses
PHILADELPHIA - A Mississippi man is facing jailtime after he pleaded guilty to making harassing and antimsemetic phone calls to Pennsylvania synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses.
Donavan Parish, 29, entered a guilty plea on Tuesday to one count of cyberstalking and five counts of abuse and harassment using a telecommunications device.
Prosecutors say from April to May 2022, Parish made a series of phone calls to Pennsylvania synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses using an internet-based service.
During the phone calls, prosecutors say Parish "repeatedly referenced the genocide of six million Jewish people during the Holocaust" and made antisemitic comments.
Parish, a Hattiesburg resident, faces a maximum of 15 years imprisonment, according to authorities, and three years of supervised release.
"Cyberstalking is already a serious violation and targeting victims based on their religion is a hate crime, which makes it that much more abhorrent," U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said. "We and our partners will continue to work to hold accountable anyone who criminally misuses today’s technology to spread hate and fear."