Virginia Man Found Guilty of Threatening to Kill White Judges

(March 19) -- A federal jury has found Stephen H. Rosenberg, 61, of Alexandria, Va., guilty of sending a threatening e-mail to a U.S. District Court in South Carolina and attempting to influence a federal judge.

According to acting U.S. Attorney Kevin F. McDonald, evidence presented during a three-day trial showed that in 2002 Rosenberg had filed a civil lawsuit in federal court in South Carolina, alleging that he had been unlawfully arrested and incarcerated. The lawsuit was later dismissed by a federal judge.

Rosenberg sought to have the lawsuit reinstated, and a hearing was held In May 2007, but a ruling was not immediately issued. Following that hearing, Rosenberg began sending e-mails to the court, demanding a ruling in his favor. The e-mails reportedly became more demanding over time and allegedly included threatening statements.

"In 2009, Rosenberg insisted that the judge rule before his father was to be buried, on April 6, 2009," reads a U.S. attorney's office press release. "That same day, Rosenberg ... stated that the 'only good white judge was a dead white judge,' and emphasized, 'No telling how I will react after my father is buried.'"

The case was investigated by agents from the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Behavioral Science Unit of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Rosenberg was indicted by a South Carolina grand jury in 2009 and was taken into custody by FBI agents in Virginia.

Upon hearing all the evidence in the case, a jury ruled Thursday that Rosenberg's e-mails constituted a threat to kill white judges in South Carolina. The jury likewise concluded that the threatening comments were intended to "corruptly influence" the judge to rule in his favor.

U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie has scheduled Rosenberg's sentencing hearing for June 16. McDonald said Rosenberg faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine.