Austin Suman, a 35-year-old man from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has been arrested and charged with making racist death threats online to a New York reporter. The threats, made via Facebook and email, included a racial slur and derogatory language, with Suman warning the reporter that he would “end you and your family.” This stemmed from an article the reporter had written about Suman in February 2019 regarding allegations of him threatening a roommate with a gun. Suman faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for willfully making a threat involving explosives and interstate stalking.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York emphasized that threats against the press are taken seriously and a priority for prosecution. Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the district, warned that individuals who make hate-based threats against members of the press will be held accountable for their actions. Suman’s arrest serves as a message that such behavior will not be tolerated.
As of Friday afternoon, it was unclear if Suman had retained an attorney. The criminal complaint revealed that Suman had expressed having access to multiple guns and threatening the reporter with violence. The charges against him highlight the gravity of making threats against journalists and the legal consequences that follow such actions.
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