A 29-year-old Mississippi man was sentenced this week to 24 months in prison for cyberstalking and antisemitic harassment of synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses.
The prison term handed down Tuesday to Donavon Parish of Hattiesburg, MS, by US District Court Judge Cynthia M. Rufe is to be followed by three years of supervised release.
According to a June 2023 indictment and superseding information filed in May, Parish used a Voice Over Internet Protocol service to make a series of phone calls in April and May 2022 to synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
During the calls Parish “repeatedly referenced the genocide of approximately six million Jewish people during the Holocaust,” according to court documents.
Among other things, Parish told those who answered the phone, “Heil Hitler,” “all Jews must die,” “we will put you in work camps,” “gas the Jews,” and “Hitler should have finished the job.”
Parish pleaded guilty this past June to one count of cyberstalking and five counts of abuse and harassment using a telecommunications device. He also admitted to a special finding that he targeted his victims based on their actual and perceived religion.
“Donavon Parish’s harassment and hateful antisemitic threats terrorized those he targeted — their sense of security abruptly shaken by fears of escalation and physical harm,” US Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said.
“People of all faiths and backgrounds deserve to feel safe in their communities,” she added.
“No member of our community should live in fear, regardless of where they work, live, or worship,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia.
“This sentence demonstrates the FBI and our partners at the US Attorney’s Office will not tolerate such repeated and vile threats that seek to disrupt our community’s sense of safety and security, and we will bring the perpetrator to justice, no matter where they are.”
