Dallas, Texas — A federal jury convicted a Dallas man Wednesday of mailing threatening communications to federal judges and sending envelopes containing a white powder that triggered a hazardous materials response at a Fort Worth courthouse, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Jurors found Donald Ray McCray, 67, guilty after a two-day trial and about an hour of deliberation. The jury convicted him on three counts of mailing threatening communications and one count of conveying a hoax involving a biological weapon.
Prosecutors said McCray mailed multiple threatening letters in March 2025 while incarcerated in a Texas state prison. The letters were sent to federal courthouses in Fort Worth and Amarillo and contained threats against federal judges and other government employees.
Authorities said some envelopes contained a white powder intended to simulate a biological threat.
A letter sent to the Fort Worth federal courthouse prompted a full building shutdown and a multi-agency hazardous materials response. Emergency crews tested the substance and determined it was not hazardous.
Court records show McCray also sent a threatening letter to a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York.
Prosecutors said McCray continued making threats after his indictment, including during a federal court appearance in 2025.
McCray previously received a 2019 conviction for retaliation against a public servant after threatening a Texas state judge.
McCray is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 19. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each threatening communication count, up to five years for the hoax-related count, and a possible $250,000 fine.
