A political consultant was arrested for allegedly sending a misogynous, anti-Hispanic hate email to a woman whose New York state Senate campaign he briefly ran.
Brian Young of Compound Strategies Group LLC in Schenectady, N.Y., allegedly used ethnic slurs against Monica Arias Miranda and her family and described her using a vulgar word for female genitalia, Arias Miranda said in a statement Thursday.
"You're nothing but a worthless 3rd world non american piece of garbage," read a message Arias Miranda said she received Sept. 19 from somebody using the email address [email protected].
"Do us all a favor. Take your spic family and that unborn welfare addict in your gut and go the [expletive] back to mexico!" said the message.
Arias Miranda, a U.S. citizen born in Costa Rica, was pregnant at the time. She told United Press International she has never collected welfare.
A former legislative aide, she has been president of the Hispanic Coalition NY since 2011 and ran an unsuccessful Democratic state Senate campaign in 2012.
New York State Police linked the email to Young by tracing the IP address from its originating computer, Arias Miranda told UPI.
State police were unavailable for comment Thursday.
Young told UPI he "completely" denied writing the email and said he suspected his IP address, containing the numeric Internet address given to his computer, was forged.
"It's easy to forge an IP address," he said.
"It's appalling and it's disgusting and there's no place for that in society," he said of the offensive message. "I'm disgusted by allegations that [such an email] would come from me."
He said he didn't know who might have forged his IP address.
Young, also a former legislative aide, is charged with misdemeanor second-degree aggravated harassment. He is to appear in the town court in Duanesburg, N.Y., near Albany, Jan. 15.
He told UPI he believed Arias Miranda's complaint against him was "some form of retaliation" for a complaint he filed against her with the state Labor Department. He said he alleged she improperly collected unemployment benefits during her campaign.
Arias Miranda told UPI she collected unemployment benefits for which she qualified.
She and Young have been fighting in and out of court for nearly a year over his fees during the two months he was her campaign manager early last year.
Arias Miranda told UPI she fired him for not performing his job adequately. Young said they parted over a "difference of opinion."
"We all know too well how hate sentiments against immigrants can become violent and have been responsible for people getting hurt and even killed," Arias Miranda said in a statement.
"As someone who is actively involved in helping immigrants, it is important for me to bring to light Mr. Young's actions," her statement said. "Had I known of Mr. Young's true opinions toward immigrants back in 2012, I would have never hired him to serve as my campaign manager."
Young told UPI, "If I had those thoughts or sentiments, which I don't, I wouldn't have worked for her or for any of the candidates I've worked for," which he said have included "many races, religions and creeds."
