A self-proclaimed “reverend” of a white supremacy movement pleaded guilty Tuesday to threatening witnesses and jurors in the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue massacre trial. According to the Department of Justice, Hardy Lloyd, 45, admitted to endangering witnesses and victims based on their Jewish religion. He ran a hateful website targeting the parties involved in the case and made hostile and antisemitic social media posts during the trial. Prosecutors said he posted pictures of witnesses, doxxed them, and encouraged his followers to engage in violence. If the court accepts Lloyd’s plea, a criminal filing obtained by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stated that he could be sentenced to more than six years in prison. “His guilty plea underscores that anyone who attempts to obstruct a federal trial by threatening or intimidating jurors or witnesses will be met with the full force of the Justice Department,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a press release. The shooter, Robert Bowers, received the death penalty for killing 11 Jewish worshippers in 2018.
Read it at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
