June 12, 2018 - 2:13 PM
TAMPA, Fla. - A Florida man has been sentenced to eight months in federal prison for threatening to burn down a Muslim family's new home.
A U.S. Department of Justice news release on Tuesday says a judge sentenced David Howard in Tampa federal court for threatening, intimidating and interfering with housing rights. He also received two years of supervised release and is required to pay $30,000 in restitution. He pled guilty in February.
Officials say a Muslim man and his wife were conducting the final walk-through of a home they had placed under contract in 2016 when Howard approached the couple, the seller and their real estate agents. Howard told the couple they weren't welcome and threatened to burn down the house.
The Muslim couple cancelled the scheduled closing of the home purchase.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018