A Dallas federal jury has convicted a 67-year-old man of mailing threatening letters and sending hoax biological weapons to a federal courthouse in Fort Worth, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Donald Ray McCray, of Dallas, was found guilty on Wednesday after a two-day trial and about one hour of jury deliberation. He was convicted of three counts of mailing threatening communications to U.S. District Court judges in the Northern District of Texas and the Eastern District of New York, as well as one count of sending a hoax biological weapon to the federal courthouse in Fort Worth.
“Threats and disruptions to the orderly functioning of our federal courts will not be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in a statement. “With this verdict, North Texas residents held the defendant accountable for his threats and attempts to undermine our judiciary.”
McCray is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 19. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each count of mailing threatening communications and up to five years for the hoax biological weapons charge, along with a possible $250,000 fine.
Threatening letters with white powder shut down Fort Worth courthouse
According to evidence presented at trial, McCray sent multiple letters from a Texas state prison in March 2025 that contained white powder and were addressed to clerks at federal courthouses in Fort Worth and Amarillo. Prosecutors said the letters included threats to kill several state and federal employees, including federal judges.
One of the letters triggered a major emergency response at the Fort Worth federal courthouse, forcing a shutdown of the building and prompting a full hazmat response from multiple agencies until the substance could be deemed safe.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that McCray made additional threats against government employees and judges during a federal court hearing after his indictment in June 2025. Jurors were shown copies of the letters, transcripts of his statements and evidence tied to testing of the powder.
Prior conviction on similar threats
Authorities said McCray had a prior conviction in 2019 in Texas state court for threatening a state judge under similar circumstances.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and local and state partners.