U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero | U.S. Department of Justice
A Mississippi man has been sentenced to two years in prison for cyberstalking and antisemitic harassment. Donavon Parish, 29, from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, received the sentence from United States District Court Judge Cynthia M. Rufe. Following his prison term, Parish will be under supervised release for three years.
The charges stem from a series of phone calls made by Parish in April and May 2022 to synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The indictment, issued in June 2023 and updated this May, revealed that Parish used a Voice Over Internet Protocol service to make these calls.
During the calls, Parish made several antisemitic remarks referencing the Holocaust and expressing hate towards Jewish people. He used phrases such as “Heil Hitler,” “all Jews must die,” “we will put you in work camps,” “gas the Jews,” and “Hitler should have finished the job.”
In June of this year, Parish pleaded guilty to one count of cyberstalking and five counts of abuse and harassment using a telecommunications device. He also acknowledged targeting victims based on their religion.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero stated that "Donavon Parish’s harassment and hateful antisemitic threats terrorized those he targeted — their sense of security abruptly shaken by fears of escalation and physical harm." She emphasized that all individuals deserve safety in their communities.
Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia, added that "No member of our community should live in fear, regardless of where they work, live, or worship." He noted that the sentence reflects a commitment to addressing threats against community safety.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania along with Justin Sher from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division (Counterterrorism Section). The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi also provided assistance.
