A South Florida man was sentenced Friday to three years and one month in federal prison for assaulting a Muslim American Postal Service worker and attempting to pull off her hijab.
Kenneth Pinkney, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, was sentenced in Miami federal court after he pleaded guilty in April to inciting a hate crime for allegedly assaulting a federal employee, according to court records.
“Hate crimes represent a brutal assault on the very fabric of our diverse communities,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Davis said in a statement. “No one should live in fear of being targeted because of their religious beliefs.”
According to court documents, the mail carrier told investigators she first noticed Pinkney aggressively eyeing her while she was delivering mail on October 9, 2023, two days after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Later that month, the woman was on her mail route when Pinckney began making threats and calling her a terrorist, prosecutors said. Pinckney then attacked the mail carrier in the mail truck and began pulling off her hijab, a head covering worn by some Muslim women in public.
She eventually managed to tear off Pinkney’s shirt and separate herself from her attacker. Pinkney fled the scene and was later arrested, authorities said.
Officials said the woman suffered scratches on her face.