Dearborn Man to Serve 41 Months in Prison for Threatening to Kill DTE Employees

A Dearborn man was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison today after his conviction by a jury in September of extortion for threatening to kill DTE Energy employees over the phone, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced.

Sami William Mustafa, 28, of Dearborn, was facing a shut-off from DTE Energy on Jan. 14, 2013, for not paying his power bill, according to evidence presented at the trial.

Mustafa, who felt that DTE was not handling his bill properly, placed two calls to the customer service department and explained to the operators his intention to come down to their office to kill DTE’s employees, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan reported.

During these telephone conversations, Mustafa threatened the employees by saying “Do you want to get shot in the face over a couple of dollars,” and “It’s going to be another Sandy Hook,” - referring to the mass shooting that took place in Newtown, Ct., last year. 

Mustafa also used racially charged language, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In announcing the sentence, McQuade stated, “Mass shootings around the country have taught our society to take these kinds of threats very seriously. The public should be aware that threats of violence will be prosecuted criminally.”

Joining McQuade in the announcement were Paul M. Abbate, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Detroit, and Michael Lynch, chief security officer for DTE Energy Corporate Security.

The case was investigated by the FBI and DTE Corporate Security. Mustafa was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood.