by Alex Lloyd Gross
Not everyone was pleased with the police response to the riots that happened in June of 2020. Most vent their frustrations on social media. One male, Peter Fratus, of West Dennis Massachusetts decided to tell Philadelphia police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw exactly how he felt. He did so by sending threatening, racist, misogynistic threats to her by using her official email address at the police department.
The two emails he sent to her were threatening and in one, he asked her for her home address. Outlaw reported the threats to her federal counterparts who launched an investigation. Fratus was convicted of transmitting threatening communications in interstate commerce. During trial, it was established that he has a history of sending racist emails and also assaulting law enforcement.
He will do four years in Federal Prison, followed by four years of supervised release.
“Sending threats online is a serious federal crime, whether the victim is a private citizen or a prominent civic leader,” said U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. “The public can rest assured that our Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will work tirelessly to identify anyone who does this in order to ensure they’re held accountable for their actions.”
“Peter Fratus apparently thought he could make violent physical threats with impunity, but today’s sentencing proves how wrong he was,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “Threats to life are most certainly not protected speech, and the FBI will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable anyone who crosses the line and commits these criminal acts.”