A Dallas County man has admitted to making threats of violence against a Sikh nonprofit organization, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna for the District of New Jersey and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kathleen Wolfe of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Bushan Athale, 49, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in Camden federal court. He was charged with interfering with federally protected activities through the threatened use of a dangerous weapon and transmitting an interstate threat to injure another person. Sentencing is set for June 3, 2025.
“Threats of violence have no place in our society,” stated Vikas Khanna, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. “Every individual in this country must be free to practice their religion without fear of violence or persecution.”
Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, emphasized the importance of safety: “Every citizen has the right to feel safe, secure, and free from fear of violence or hate.”
Court documents reveal that on September 17, 2022, Athale left seven voicemails at a Sikh civil rights organization expressing hatred toward its employees and threatening them with harm using a razor.
The voicemails contained violent imagery and obscenities referencing significant aspects within the Sikh religion. On March 21, 2024, Athale again called the same organization leaving two more threatening messages targeting Sikhs as well as Muslims.
Athale also admitted during his plea to sending electronic messages on November 6-7, 2021 to a former co-worker expressing animosity towards Pakistanis and Muslims.
Further admissions include sending threatening messages between May 28-31, 2024 to a recruiter he believed was Muslim.
The charges carry potential penalties including up to ten years in prison for interfering with federally protected activities and five years for transmitting an interstate threat along with fines up to $250,000 each.
Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents from the FBI's Philadelphia Division under Wayne A. Jacobs' direction for their investigation leading up to this plea.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara A. Aliabadi and Jason M. Richardson alongside Trial Attorney Eric Peffley from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Defense Counsel: AFPD Maggie Moy