Man who threatened CAIR gets 5 years of probation and 1 year in county jail

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Wednesday 20 Jan 2016 - 14:03 Makkah mean time-10-4-1437 San Diego, US (IINA) - A man who made threats via phone and email to an American-Muslim advocacy group was ordered on Tuesday to serve 5 years of probation and a year in county jail, The San Diego Union-Tribune news reported. John David Weissinger, 54 year-old, pleaded guilty in August to a felony charge of making a criminal threat, with a hate-crime allegation, a misdemeanor hate-crime charge as well as possession of an illegal assault rifle an AR-15. Weissinger made the threats in January 2015 after the deadly attacks at the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris. On Tuesday, San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh sentenced the defendant to the maximum term jail term he could impose under the terms of Weissinger’s plea. The judge said he was not only considering what punishment would be appropriate in this case, but that he wanted to send a message to others who might consider committing similar acts. “Conduct like the conduct in this case is hateful,” Walsh said. “It’s caustic, it’s inflammatory, it’s dangerous, it’s illegal, it’s inexcusable and it cannot be tolerated.” A recording of a voicemail message left at the local office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was played in court at a previous hearing. In it, a voice could be heard making profanity-laced comments including, “Your faith is going to be your downfall.” There were also references to the caller’s access to “fire power” and the Charlie Hebdo shootings. The judge noted that Weissinger had to look up the local organization’s phone number before leaving that message. He also took the time to find an email address, then draft and send a threatening missive to the communications director at the council’s national headquarters in Washington D.C. Apparently, Weissinger failed to listen to that “inner voice” that should have told him what he was doing was wrong, the judge said. A woman who worked as a receptionist at the group’s office in Kearny Mesa said Weissinger committed an act of “domestic terrorism” when he left the threatening messages. In a video-recorded statement played at the sentencing, the woman identified only as Jane Doe said she, the other staff members and the organization’s volunteers were all victims in this case. “In no way did we deserve the terror that Weissinger waged on us,” she said. The office has since changed locations. Hanif Mohebi, executive director of the local office, said Weissinger had been seen around the previous office before he left the threatening voicemail. He called the defendant’s behavior “unacceptable.” Weissinger, who had been free while his case was pending, was handcuffed and taken into custody immediately after he was sentenced. SM/IINA