A Maricopa man who phoned violent threats to the city’s only mosque pleaded guilty this week and was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation, 30 hours of community service, counseling and a $600 fine, court records show.

Mark Martinez, 36, admitted to a misdemeanor count stemming from an Aug. 3 call to Masjid Bilal ibn Rabah in the Heritage District during Sunday School, when he vowed a “crusade” and used anti-Muslim slurs to threaten church goers. He was arrested Aug. 29 at his home in The Villages and had remained free on bond. His change-of-plea hearing on Tuesday in Maricopa Municipal Court concluded with the sentencing. 

Leaders at the mosque provided investigators with a partial audio recording of the threat. Police said phone records and coordination with federal partners corroborated the call.

In a September interview outside the courthouse, Martinez acknowledged making the call and expressed regret, saying he “did it” and planned to accept responsibility. He was eager to take responsibility and move on. He declined to answer more questions.

The Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights group in the U.S., described the threats as “chilling,” calling the ordeal “a stark reminder of the ongoing danger that the Muslim and other minority communities face” in a statement to InMaricopa last month.

Listen to the threat here. Listener discretion is advised: