Washington – Maryland Man Sentenced To 1 Year For Sending Threatening Email to Illinois Mosque

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    Washington – Ilya Sobolevskiy, a 25-year-old resident of Maryland, was sentenced today to serve 12 months in prison and to pay a $3,000 fine for violating the civil rights of members of an Urbana, Ill., mosque, announced the Justice Department.

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    During a guilty plea hearing in August 2010, Sobolevskiy admitted that he sent an email to a member of the Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center (CIMIC), in which he threatened, among other things, that he would “do WHATEVER it takes to eradicate Islam.” Officials at CIMIC reported the threat to the FBI, which referred the case to the department’s Civil Rights Division.

    “One of our most basic rights is the freedom to practice one’s faith in peace,” said Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez of the Civil Rights Division. “We have no tolerance for threats of violence fueled by bigotry, and we will aggressively prosecute such actions.”

    “It is a top priority of the FBI to protect the civil rights of the American people. We encourage members of the community to report all allegations of civil rights violations. The FBI will aggressively investigate these matters to ensure that our society remains free,” said Stuart R. McArthur, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Springfield Office.

    Federal Magistrate Judge David G. Bernthal, referring to the defendant’s crime as “an act of terror,” gave the defendant the maximum sentence permitted by law.

    This case was investigated by the Springfield, Ill., division of the FBI, and was prosecuted by department Trial Attorney Patricia Sumner.


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    10 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Why only 1 year for such a crime? A much longer sentence would deter others from threatening mosques, shuls or any other religious facility.

    bigwheeel
    bigwheeel
    13 years ago

    Let me follow in the (Not so noble) tradition of those that focus on the ethnicity / race/ subgroup of the perpetrator. From the name, it is obvious that he is not Jewish. That’s somewhat of a relief. Because that would unjustly weaken our argument in the eyes of those who wish us ill. On a realistic level, he is a criminal. Maybe an insane one. He should get the maximum sentence allowed by law.

    AKIVAF
    AKIVAF
    13 years ago

    He could easily be a Russian Jewish immigrant with that name. You don’t find Russians named Goldberg anymore.

    The-Macher
    The-Macher
    13 years ago

    Ilya = Eliyahu = name used mainly by Jews.

    Sobolevskiy = usually shortened to Sobel or Sobol in the US

    At least his father is Jewish.

    The garbage spewed onto the shores of the US and EY from the Former Soviet Union includes a lot of criminals and mental cases. This is one of the latter.

    Juzac911
    Juzac911
    13 years ago

    Actually he is Jewish I looked him up on myspace and it’s really a shame that they gave him such a harsh punishment. You know how many threatening emails they send to the Jews everyday and its overlooked. Hashem should have mercy on him. Amen.

    13 years ago

    I would say that he probably is Jewish.

    13 years ago

    He is obviously dealing with some degree of mental illness or he would not have sent his threat by email. This can always be traced.