A Dallas man was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison for mailing threatening communications to federal judges and sending hoax biological weapons to the Fort Worth federal courthouse.
A federal jury convicted Donald Ray McCray, 67, in April of three counts of mailing threatening communications and one count of hoax weapons of mass destruction. U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr imposed the sentence Wednesday.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould characterized the threats as an attempt to bully and destabilize the justice system
“McCray’s threats were aimed at the very core of our justice system,” said Raybould. “Sending white powder and violent messages to judges and court staff is a criminal attempt to bully and destabilize the institutions that our system of justice relies on.”
KERA reached out to McRay's attorneys for comment and will update this story with any response.
McCray was incarcerated in a Texas state prison when he mailed multiple threatening letters containing white powder to clerks at federal courthouses in Fort Worth and Amarillo in March 2025. The letters included threats to kill state and federal government employees, including federal district court judges.
The Fort Worth letter containing the white powder prompted a hazardous materials response and a shutdown of the courthouse while authorities secured and tested the substance. Officials determined it was not dangerous.
The threats also extended beyond Texas. One of the charges involved a letter sent to a federal judge in the Eastern District of New York. Prosecutors said McCray made additional threats against judges and government employees during a federal court appearance after his indictment in June 2025.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org. KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members.
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