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Indian-origin man charged with hate crime for threatening employees of Sikh body
Bhushan Athale faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the charge of interfering with federally protected activities.
A 48-year-old Texas resident from Dallas, Bhushan Athale, is charged with committing a federal hate crime and making interstate threats directed at employees of a Sikh nonprofit organization. The complaint charges him with one count of interfering with federally protected activities by threatening to use a dangerous weapon and one count of transmitting an interstate threat to harm another individual.
According to the criminal complaint filed on Sept.17, 2022, Athale made a call to the main number of an organization advocating for the civil rights of Sikh individuals in the United States. During the following hour, he left seven voicemails filled with extreme hatred towards the Sikh employees of the organization, threatening to harm or kill them with a razor.
These voicemails, laden with violent imagery and obscenities, referenced places, people, and principles significant to the Sikh religion. Athale expressed his intent to "catch" the Sikhs at the organization, forcibly "shave" their "top and bottom hair," use a "razor" to cut their hair and make them bald, force them to smoke and eat tobacco, and "show [them] the heaven."
In March, Athale contacted the same Sikh organization once more, leaving two additional voicemails. In these messages, he again employed violent imagery to express his animosity towards Sikhs and Muslims. Among other things, he suggested that the Indian Government and Mumbai Police should "catch them and beat them up."
The US Department of Justice said that further investigation has revealed that Athale has a longstanding history of making religiously charged comments and threats. In one instance, he used a professional networking site to express to a former co-worker that he "hate[d] Pakistan" and "hate[d] Muslims," adding, "I hate you, I just don’t know how to kill your whole family including you? Tell me??? I will figure it out [...] Probably I will hire a Jew, they will be most happy."
Athale faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the charge of interfering with federally protected activities and a maximum of five years for the charge of transmitting an interstate threat. Both charges also carry a potential fine of up to $250,000. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Philadelphia Field Office investigated the case.
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