Man gets 18 months in federal prison for repeated racist phone calls made to a church

BILLINGS, Mont. — A Montana guy has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for making repeated threatening and racist phone calls to a (*18*) church for two years after he went there in quest of assist and won a present card from a Black worker, prosecutors mentioned.

Joshua Leon Hiestand, 41, was once sentenced Friday, in accordance to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana. Hiestand pleaded accountable in June to making harassing phone calls. A stalking rate was once disregarded as a part of the plea settlement.

“When Hiestand, a white man, went to a Billings church looking for help, an elderly African American woman who worked there responded with kindness and assistance,” U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said in a statement. “In return and for nearly two years, Hiestand launched a barrage of harassing, hateful and racist calls and voicemails at her and the church. His racist conduct isn’t just abhorrent, it is illegal.”

Prosecutors alleged Hiestand went to the Presbyterian church in November 2020 in quest of assist. Five days later, the church won a voicemail in which any person, the usage of a racially derogatory time period, mentioned he would give extra money to the church if the church didn’t make use of an African American. After 3 equivalent calls, the girl referred to as (*18*) police.

A detective referred to as the quantity used to depart the messages and spoke to Hiestand, who admitted making the calls and apologized for his habits, prosecutors mentioned. He was once instructed to don’t have any additional touch with the church. Three days later, he left a voicemail with the church in which he apologized, court docket information mentioned.

However, over the following 19 months Hiestand referred to as and left a collection of voicemails on the church that had been from time to time threatening and racially adverse, prosecutors mentioned. Investigators made up our minds that once January 2021, Hiestand was once striking the calls from out of doors the state of Montana.

Hiestand was once arrested in November 2022 in Indiana and has remained in custody since then.

Hiestand’s public defender Gillian Gosch requested for a sentence of time served, arguing her consumer’s movements had been suffering from his psychological well being problems, that have resulted in psychiatric hospitalizations and which seem to be worsened via his use of unlawful elements.

The Bureau of Prisons will come to a decision whether or not Hiestand will obtain credit for the 11 months he has already been in custody, officers mentioned.

Hiestand remained in custody in the Yellowstone County prison on Monday.