October 11, 2025
Authorities say the suspect sent violent, racist emails targeting Mayor Lee and other officials.
A 45-year-old man from El Cerrito has been charged with multiple hate crimes after allegedly sending a series of racist and violent threats to Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. The suspect, identified as David Pokorny, was charged with threatening a public official and committing a hate crime. He is currently being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, California, with bail set at $70,000.
Authorities said members of Mayor Lee’s staff contacted law enforcement after discovering several disturbing emails filled with explicit racial slurs and violent threats. The messages were sent from an unfamiliar Google account.
The first email was sent to Lee on Sept. 7, but it wasn’t until Sept. 22 that a staff member noticed the alarming messages while reviewing the mayor’s inbox. The emails included racist language and graphic threats to harm the mayor and others.
One message read in part, “I want all the [N-word] in Oakland killed. They’re an unhealthy pest. If you want to keep the [expletive] alive, then I want you killed, too. I think we should kill all of the government officials in Oakland and all of the police officers and judges in Oakland as well.”
Another email, sent on Sept. 21, escalated the threat to Lee: “You are a psychopath, and I’m going to torture and murder you.”
Mayor Lee and her staff reported the threats immediately, describing them as credible and deeply concerning. An investigation quickly led authorities to Pokorny, who was arrested and formally charged this week.
The case of Mayor Lee comes amid a rise in threats and violence directed toward public officials across the United States. Data collected by Princeton University shows an increase in politically motivated harassment and violence targeting lawmakers, judges, and local leaders.
Earlier this year, a Minnesota lawmaker was killed and another was injured in an attack carried out by a man pretending to be a police officer. Investigators later uncovered writings listing dozens of Democratic politicians the suspect allegedly planned to target.
Pokorny’s arrest underscores growing concerns over the safety of elected leaders, particularly amid heightened political tension and online extremism.
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