A Dallas federal jury deliberated approximately one hour before convicting Donald Ray McCray, 67, on all four counts arising from a campaign of threats directed at federal judges and a hoax biological weapons incident at the Fort Worth federal courthouse [1]. The case was tried before Judge Brantley Starr in the Northern District of Texas over two days [1]. The government charged McCray with three counts of mailing threatening communications to federal district court judges and one count of sending a hoax biological weapon to a federal courthouse [1].
The trial record centered on McCray's transmission of threatening letters to sitting federal judges and the mailing of an envelope containing white powder to the Fort Worth federal courthouse [1]. The white powder triggered a full HAZMAT response, shutting down courthouse operations while emergency personnel assessed the material [1]. The jury returned guilty verdicts on all four counts after roughly sixty minutes of deliberation [1].
Because this is a criminal case, no civil damages are at issue. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 19, 2026, before Judge Starr [1]. Federal sentencing on threatening communications charges carries statutory maximums that will govern the guidelines calculation, though the specific range has not been publicly disclosed in the available source material.
No post-trial motions or notice of appeal have been reported as of the verdict date. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas [1].