Yesterday, Sonia Tabizada, 36, pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime.
What We Know:
- Back in May of 2019, California native Sonia Tabizada made bomb threats to Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School after the school announced it would make an inclusive move forward and begin publishing same-sex wedding announcements in its alumni magazine.
- Court documents suggest that Tabizada made multiple threatening phone calls to the school, leaving voicemails stating that she would burn and bomb the church, kill school officials and students, and commit acts of “terrorism”. One message from Tabizada played in court stating, “Remove the f—— gay motherf—— from your magazine or I’m going to f—— kill your kids. That’s a promise.”
- NBC News reports that Tabizada had no previous connection to the Washington D.C. high school and most likely only heard of the announcement via news reports. She resides in Southern California and has never attended or had any known ties to the Catholic school.
- Despite whether her intentions were executed or not, Tabizada pleaded guilty to obstructing religious exercise by making threats. She will be sentenced on March 23rd and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Eric Dreiband, Department of Justice assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, said in a statement, “Tolerance and religious freedom are cornerstone values in our society and the Department of Justice will continue to vigorously prosecute violent threats motivated by bias.”
