A white supremacist from Florida has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for threatening an African American who announced his candidacy for city council; he was also convicted of cyber-stalking another victim.
In April 2020, Daniel McMahon pleaded guilty to using social media platform Gab to threaten a man identified in court as D.G. after learning in January 2019 that D.G. planned to run for Charlottesville City Council in Virginia.
McMahon also admitted using Facebook messaging app Messenger to cyber-stalk a female political activist described in court documents as Victim 2.
Using a Facebook account in which he called himself "Restore Silent Sam," McMahon threatened to sexually assault Victim 2's daughter, a minor who has been diagnosed with autism.
The convicted cyber-stalker admitted that, at around the same time that he was sending these threats to Victim 2, he was searching online for content relating to sexual contact with girls who have autism.
McMahon masked his identity while online by using the pseudonyms “Jack Corbin,” “Pale Horse,” “Restore Silent Sam,” and “Dakota Stone." Under these names, the 32-year-old actively promoted white supremacy, posted racial slurs, and expressed support for racially motivated violence.
“Americans have the right to run for office in this country without facing racially-bigoted threats of violence,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division.
“Furthermore, no American should have to live with hateful threats of sexual violence."
Following his term of incarceration, McMahon will be placed on three years of supervised release, during which time he will be prohibited from using internet-capable devices without prior court approval.
“The hallmark of our Nation’s democracy is the right to peacefully protest and engage in an effective exchange of ideas via the political process,” said US Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez for the Middle District of Florida.
“When either of these rights are infringed [upon], and individuals are targeted, intimidated, or threatened because of their race/ethnicity or beliefs, the cornerstone of our system is put at risk. Today’s sentence demonstrates our intent to work together to preserve our Nation’s founding principles and ensure that all citizens are protected under the law."