After admitting to routinely throwing banana peels into the homes of his Haitian neighbors and to owning more than 70 weapons, a Massachusetts man was given a 9-year prison sentence.
The Associated Press reported that more firearms than Robert Ivarson was legally permitted to own were discovered in his residence. He was also charged with harassing his Haitian neighbors on the basis of race.
District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement last Thursday that Ivarson’s conviction followed his guilty pleas to charges of criminal harassment, a criminal civil rights violation, and more than 100 weapons-related offenses.
The court mandated that the 55-year-old receive any recommended treatment as well as a mental health evaluation and be prohibited from contacting his victims. According to the authorities, the guy who was convicted was apprehended in 2016 after his Haitian neighbors reported routinely finding banana peels on their land. The victims claimed to have discovered the banana peels 30 to 40 times over several months. Police saw him toss banana peels prior to his final arrest.
After conducting searches of Ivarson’s premises in January and October of last year, authorities discovered the guns inside his residence. According to the district attorney, the arsenal included of handguns, assault rifles, an Uzi, large-capacity magazines, and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Ivarson was prohibited from possessing weapons due to prior criminal convictions, according to the prosecution. Additionally, Nazi, KKK, and Confederate memorabilia were discovered in his residence.
“Mr. Ivarson targeted his neighbors because of their race,” Ryan said. “His repeated throwing of banana peels into their driveway was terrorizing and caused them to feel unsafe in their own home.”