Norwalk man threatened to 'exterminate' Jewish people and Asian Americans
LOS ANGELES - A Northridge man pleaded guilty to threatening mass shootings at synagogues and threatening to "exterminate" Jewish people and Asian Americans, the Justice Department announced Monday.
Andre Morrow Lackner, 34, pleaded guilty to one federal stalking count.
Lackner admitted to harassing a woman between June 2021 and October 2022, sending the victim antisemitic texts which included messages like "Hitler was right about you people" and "I will make sure I kill a Jew before I leave this Earth," among other threats.
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According to the plea agreement, Lackner's threatening messages also included disparaging comments about Asian Americans, saying things like "We need to start more Asian hate and wipe" Asian people "off the planet too."
Court documents showed that the recipient of those texts felt scared for her life and her family's lives.
Lackner has been in federal custody since December and is expected to be sentenced on June 3. He faces a maximum of five years in federal prison.
"My office will remain steadfast in standing up to hate and working to unite our community," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "We must hold accountable those like this defendant who make vile, anti-Semitic, and racist threats that put victims in fear for their lives. I applaud law enforcement for acting decisively to intervene and protect the victim."