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Man sentenced to 2 years for threatening to burn down a Black church in Virginia

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NORFOLK, Va. -- A man has been sentenced to two years in prison for threatening to burn down a Black church in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The U.S. Department of Justice says 63-year-old John Malcolm Bareswill of Catawba, North Carolina, was sentenced Thursday.

According to court documents, Bareswill called the church in June, made racially derogatory remarks, and threatened to set it ablaze.

The call came days after one of the church’s leaders took part in a prayer vigil and peaceful demonstration for George Floyd. Floyd died May 25 in police custody in Minnesota after a white officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes.

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