U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced a man from the state of Maine who circulated an online plan to shoot Jews on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.
Brian Dennison, 27, received 12 months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release following a guilty verdict in December. Dennison had written on Twitter: “I’m going to kill jews with my ar15 tomorrow” in September 2021.
Law enforcement found 1,700 rounds of an AR-15 rifle and proof of his hatred of Jews after an initial search of Dennison’s residence, and later, the AR-15 and more ammo hidden in the woods behind his home.
“Such repugnant threats have no place in any society. I commend the FBI for its excellent investigative work in this case,” said Darcie McElwee, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine. “Under the First Amendment, you have a right to believe hateful things, and to express those hateful beliefs in lawful ways. But when your speech constitutes a true threat to kill or injure others, you will be held accountable.”
Jodi Cohen, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, praised the Maine Joint Terrorism Task Force for “its rapid response to Brian Dennison’s threat to commit mass murder with an assault rifle, born out of his long-standing hatred for Jewish people.” JNS