Subject: Cyber-terrorist Against Asian Convicted
To: CHINA-NT@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
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Press Release
February 12, 1998
Cyber-terrorist convicted in Santa Ana
Richard Machado, an ex-student who could not maintain passing grades at the University of California, Irvine, was charged with sending death threats through e-mail to about 60 students of Asian descent. The message targeted each by name, threatening to make it his "life career" to "hunt all of you down ....find and kill everyone of you personally".
Mr. Machado was convicted on February 10 on two counts of interfering with the federally protected activities of those 60 targeted Asians students - because of their race, color and national origin. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, February 13. At that time he may be sentenced. The conviction carries a possible sentence of one year in federal prison and a fine of $100,000.
CACRO places primal importance on the first successful conviction of cyber-terroism. We commends the federal jury for this conviction and applauds the U. S. Attorney's office for the successful prosecution.
In view of the increasing hate crimes again Asians and other minorities in recent years, the federal jury sent a strong and unmistakable signal that racially motivated crimes will not be tolerated in a pluralistic society. CACRO hopes that this message will deter the commission of hate crimes in the future.
With compassion, we hope that this experience will focus Mr. Machado towards positive development in his life.
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for more information contact,
Ting Huang 310-838-8166
David Ma 626-288-0688
Chinese American Civil Rights Organization
CACRO
108 N. Ynez Ave., Suite 200, Monterey Park, Ca. 91754
