CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 32-year-old North Carolina man was sentenced to 40 months in prison for threatening eight people with force over their race, religion, color and national origin, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to court documents, Maurice Hopkins threatened eight people with a firearm inside a restaurant in Charlotte. He approached the group and asked if they were American, then called them terrorists, demanded they speak English, told them to go back to their country and made other similar discriminatory statements.
Hopkins made multiple threats according to court documents, including "If you say one more thing, I'm going to punch you in the face," and threatening to "shoot the place up" and "kill all of them."
Hopkins then left and came back with a loaded AR-15 style rifle. The group of people immediately ran out the back of the restaurant.
Hopkins pleaded guilty to one count of interference with federally protected activities on Aug. 19, 2025.
He admitted in his guilty plea that he threatened the group because of their race, color, religion and national origin, and because they were enjoying themselves at the restaurant.
“This was an outrageous act motivated by nothing other than racial bigotry," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. "Today’s sentence makes clear: if you threaten people with violence because of who they are — or where they come from — you will be met with the full force of federal law.”
Hopkins is in federal custody and will be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons once a federal facility has been designated, according to the Department of Justice.
