Massachusetts career criminal sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for threatening interracial couple – Boston 25 News

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

BOSTON — A Massachusetts resident was sentenced Monday to nearly a decade in prison for harassing an interracial couple on social media he didn't know in 2021.

Stephen DeBerardinis, 48, of Boston and Dedham, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 90 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

He previously pleaded guilty to charges related to threats and harassment against the couple in March.

According to Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, DeBerardinis used Facebook Messenger to send racist and threatening messages to an interracial couple, a black man and a white woman, with whom he was not friends on Facebook.

Court documents say the messages included vulgar racial epitaphs and profanities, as well as photos of brass knuckles saying “THICKS GET POINTS” if the couple called the cops. His personal Facebook page was also littered with racist speech, officials said.

Massachusetts man sentenced to more than seven years in prison for threatening, harassing interracial couple and obstructing justice

A subsequent investigation showed DeBerardinis had been arrested more than 100 times in 24 years, including prior convictions for threats, intimidation, false reporting of a crime, impersonating a police officer and theft, among other crimes.

Authorities found more than 70 knives, 22 brass knuckles, swords, bullets, black gun powder, stun guns, rifles and a number of other weapons after searching his home.

“The toxic mix of racist hatred, threats of violence, and the use of social media to amplify vile and violent attitudes poses a corrosive danger to every law-abiding member of our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney United, Joshua S. Levy. “This defendant’s horrific and cruel threats not only jeopardized the safety and well-being of the victims here, but they also constituted a broad attack on the values of equality and respect upheld by our nation. This office is deeply grateful for the courage of the victims who reported this incident to law enforcement and helped us pursue this important case,”

“Stephen DeBerardinis is a career criminal with multiple felony convictions who continued to demonstrate blatant disregard for the law by sending a series of horribly racist and hate-motivated threats of brutal violence to an interracial couple they he had never met,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News App for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW