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Massachusetts Man Sentenced To 4 Years In Prison After Convicted Of Sending Racist, Misogynistic Threats To Philadelphia Police Commissioner Outlaw

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to four years in prison and three years of supervised release for sending racist, misogynistic threats to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw via email. Forty-year-old Peter Fratus, of West Dennis, was convicted after a three-day trial in September 2021 on charges of transmitting threatening communications in interstate commerce.

In June 2020, Fratus sent two emails to the Philadelphia Police Commissioner's official City of Philadelphia email address. Officials say the emails contained racist, offensive, and threatening language. In one of the emails, he asked where she lived in one of the emails.

He also has a long history of sending racist, misogynistic threats and assaulting law enforcement officers.

"Sending threats online is a serious federal crime, whether the victim is a private citizen or a prominent civic leader," said U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. "The public can rest assured that our office, together with our law enforcement partners, will work tirelessly to identify anyone who does this in order to ensure they're held accountable for their actions."

The FBI investigated this case with the assistance of the Philadelphia Police Department and the Dennis Police Department.

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