Washington Man Who Called Stores in Four States Threatening To Kill Black People Pleads Guilty

A Washington man, who was taken into custody in July for repeatedly calling grocery stores in Buffalo, NY threatening to shoot Black people, has reportedly pleaded guilty.

According to NBC News, prosecutors confirmed that the defendant, Joey David George, submitted his guilty plea to a hate crime on Monday, Nov. 7.

On July 22, George was arrested on charges of two counts of interstate threats only two months after a mass shooter entered a Buffalo supermarket and opened fire on Black customers, BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported. At the time, a federal complaint said George planned to use assault rifles and other weapons to kill Black people at the supermarket.

In his plea agreement, George admitted to making “interstate threats and committing a hate crime for interference with a federally protected activity,” according to a release by the U.S. Department of Justice.

He also confessed to making threatening calls from at or near his home in Lynnwood, WA to grocery stores in Buffalo, restaurants in California and Connecticut, and a cannabis dispensary in Maryland.

In his calls to Buffalo, George “told the staff at the store to ‘take him seriously,’ and ordered the store to clear out the customers, as he was ‘nearby’ and ‘preparing to shoot all Black customers,'” the U.S. Department of Justice reported.

George was identified after law enforcement traced the phone number.

In addition, George telephoned a restaurant in San Bruno, CA. in May. He allegedly threatened to shoot Black and Hispanic customers and staff. He confessed to law enforcement that he made the threat to “strike fear in the Bay Area Black community.”

On Sept. 11, 2021, George telephoned a dispensary in Rockville, MD, and used racial slurs as he threatened to shoot and kill Black patrons at the establishment. The dispensary closed its doors and employed extra security. They reported more than $50,000 in lost revenue.

On the same day, George also allegedly called a Denny’s restaurant in Enfield, CT, and threatened Black patrons at the restaurant.

George agreed to pay restitution to the affected businesses.