Probation Violation Lands Machado in Jail

Richard J. Machado, the first person to be convicted of an Internet hate crime, was sent back to jail Monday for violating the terms of his probation.

It is the second time the former UCI student has been ordered back into custody for failing to report to his probation officer and to attend psychological counseling sessions. “He hasn’t helped himself,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Michael J. Gennaco said, adding that Machado would have been a free man by now had he followed the court’s orders.

Instead, U.S. District Judge Alicemarie H. Stotler sentenced Machado, 22, to serve an additional four months in jail.

Machado was found guilty in February 1998 of violating the civil rights of Asian students at UCI by sending e-mail messages that threatened to kill them if they didn’t leave the school.

He was sentenced to one year in jail and one year of probation but was freed for time served while awaiting trial.

Last year, Machado served four months at Terminal Island in San Pedro, a federal prison, for probation violation. He was released in January but again failed to report to his probation officer or to seek counseling. An arrest warrant was issued in May, and Machado surrendered to police in Las Vegas last month.

“He’s not able to cope with his problems,” Stotler said. “We can just hope that this sentence will close the book on his penalty.”