According to a news release from the US Department of Justice, a Michigan man admitted to committing a hate crime after intimidating proponents of the Black Lives Matter movement by leaving nooses and handwritten notes around his community.

Also Read: Payton Gendron, Buffalo supermarket gunman, charged with federal hate crimes

Pilon admitted guilty to two accusations of hate crimes. He admitted to breaking the law by calling nine Starbucks locations in Michigan and instructing the staff members who answered his calls to specifically relay racial threats to Starbucks employees wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts. He specifically pleaded guilty to count 1 of the filed information. Pilon vowed to kill Black people, referring to his chosen victims with a racial slur.

Also Read: BLM sets up student relief fund as loan forgiveness stalls

Who is Kenneth Pilon?

Kenneth D. Pilon is an optometrist from Saginaw, Michigan. He has recently pled guilty to two hate crimes after fostering and pursuing his racist ideologies, and threatening to harm individuals associated with the Black Lives Matter Movement.

He left nooses on his neighbours’ cars after George Floyd was murdered, seemingly motivated by these ideas of racism, he then spent a summer day calling many Starbucks locations to express his desire to see minorities killed.

Also Read: Report uncovers widespread racism at Dutch foreign ministry

The 62-year-old Pilon entered a guilty plea to two counts of violating federally protected activities on Monday, December 12, when he appeared before U.S. District Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris. Prosecutors agreed to drop four further charges of the same charge in exchange.

The offence carries a maximum one-year prison sentence, a $100,000 fine, and one year of supervised release. Pilon’s sentencing guidelines have not yet been determined, although prosecutors advise that he serve a 10-month term.

Also Read: Kanye West cannot sell ‘White Lives Matter’ T-shirts: Here’s why

Pilon wasn’t charged with a crime until April 2022.

The method by which investigators identified Pilon as a suspect is not mentioned in court records. On March 23, at 2 p.m., U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington will sentence him. Pilon is currently free on bond.

Also Read: Selah Marley reacts to Kanye’s ‘White Lives Matter’ sweatshirt backlash

U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan stated that, “the defendant’s acts were threatening to an entire community”. “We hope this conviction sends the message that this type of activity is criminal, and that we will take the necessary action to protect the people of our district.”, he added.