Va. Man Charged With Threatening to Kill White Judges

An Alexandria man has been charged with threatening to kill white judges in South Carolina, as well as trying to influence a federal judge who was hearing a civil case in which he was a plaintiff, the FBI announced today.

Stephen H. Rosenberg, 51, is charged with one count of sending e-mail threats to a judge and one count of trying to intimidate a judge. He was arrested at his home yesterday.

According to the indictment, Rosenberg appeared in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Perry, Sr. in South Carolina in May 2007 as part of a civil suit he filed against the state claiming civil rights violations. Since then, Rosenberg is alleged to have sent many e-mails to Perry, including one on April 6, which contained a threat.

In the e-mail he demanded "justice," and wrote, "I hope you don't agree with the advice I received from many of my former fellow inmates who are of the same race as you that the "ONLY WAY" I am going to be able to achieve justice is "TO START KILLING OFF WHITE JUDGES."

As the e-mail continues it became increasingly agitated, and he said he was writing on the day of his father's funeral.

"As you know, my patience is almost exhausted," he wrote. "No telling how I will react after my father is buried."

Rosenberg, who authorities said its white, is scheduled to appear today at 2 p.m. in federal court in Alexandria.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.