A man from Florida was given three years in federal jail on Friday after pleading guilty to attacking a Muslim U.S. Postal Service worker out of hate.
It was decided that Kenneth Pinkney, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, would spend 37 months in prison and then be closely watched for three years, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
“No one should have to worry about being hurt because of their religious beliefs,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Davis said in a statement from the office of the attorney general. “Everyone, including people who work for the government, has the right to do their jobs safely.”
When asked for response Friday night, Pinkney’s lawyer did not answer right away. The victim’s name was not given.
Prosecutors said Pinkney was rude to the mail carrier while she was carrying mail in Broward County on Oct. 9, 2023. This was two days after Hamas militants attacked Israel, which caused war and stoked religious and racial tensions around the world.
Police and prosecutors said in the criminal charge against Pinkney that the carrier, who was only named as a 47-year-old Muslim woman, took note.
The uniformed woman was about two and a half hours into her delivery day on October 24. She was near her USPS delivery truck when Pinkney, who was riding a bicycle, approached her and pointed a gun at her, according to the lawsuit.
In the beginning, the woman said she thought the man needed help, so she asked if she could do something. This was supported by a statement from an FBI special agent.
The man stopped and told her over and over that she should leave the country. He then tapped her on the back of the head with two fingers to make the shape of a gun, the complaint said. The defendant reportedly told the carrier, “Go back to your country,” the U.S. attorney said in a statement on Friday.
The U.S. attorney’s office said that when she got into the truck, Pinkney grabbed her by the neck and, after a fight, took off her scarf.
The woman was able to get out of the car, but officials say the fight continued outside. Pinkney is said to have hit the woman several times, and she grabbed his shirt and tore off a piece that authorities later said matched the defendant’s clothes.
The criminal complaint says that when the woman was able to get some space, she told the defendant she was calling 911. The defendant replied that he was also calling. The paper says that he waited for the police for a few minutes but then left before they got there.
The filing said that his call helped the police find him.
Prosecutors said Pinkney spat on the victim, called her a “terrorist,” and said things that were hurtful to Muslims during the attack. The woman was taken to the hospital for pain and scratches on her face, the report said.
“The FBI will never give up on our mission to protect people who are being targeted because of their race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability,” said Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami field office. “We will keep going after people who commit hate crimes.”