US alleges man mailed violent threats

A federal grand jury yesterday indicted a Danvers man accused of threatening an Iranian-American with sadistic violence and demanding a $20,000 payoff.

Thomas F. Lawlor , 49, was charged with violating the federal law that forbids sending threats through the mail. The offense allegedly occurred in November 2005.

The US attorney's office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Boston Police Department jointly announced the indictment. It was obtained based on an investigation by the FBI and the Police Department's community disorders unit, law enforcement officials said.

The officials released an excerpt from the letter that Lawlor allegedly wrote to the victim, but they disclosed no other details of the case, including how Lawlor knew the man.

The letter stated that unless the victim paid $20,000 to the sender, the sender would cut off the recipient's sexual organs. The letter directed profanities at the victim's Muslim religion, his Iranian origins, and his mother.

The indictment says Lawlor mailed the threats to the victim at the man's business. The names of the victim and the business were not released. Lawlor, who has not yet been arraigned, could not be reached for comment. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.

Andrew Tarsy , director of the Anti-Defamation League of New England, said after learning of the indictment that "the slurs, intimidation, and threats alleged against the defendant must be condemned in the strongest terms by people of all backgrounds."

Tarsy praised the police and US attorney's office for seeking the indictment.

But he also said the case underscored the need for passage of a federal hate crimes law "so that crimes like those alleged in this case can be called what they are and carry serious consequences."

The ADL belongs to a coalition of groups that has lobbied unsuccessfully for passage of federal hate crimes legislation.

Charles A. Radin can be reached at radin@globe.com.