On June 29, a California man was arrested and charged for threatening to murder the family of a U.S. official.
Man faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted.
The FBI tracked the emails to Man’s residence in Norwalk, California, and confronted him in May this year. He admitted to the FBI that he sent the emails because he was “angry” about the net neutrality repeals and that he wanted to “scare” Pai.
“Man is charged with a threatening to murder a member of the immediate family of a U.S. official with the intent to intimidate or interfere with such official while engaged in the performance of official duties, or with the intent to retaliate against such official on account of the performance of official duties,” the DOJ said in a press release.
Normally, sentences for federal crimes are less than the maximum penalty, the DOJ noted. A federal district court judge will determine how long the sentence will be.Man also provided a written apology letter to law enforcement. It read: “Dear [Federal Official 1], I’m sorry I made a threat against your kids. That was crossing the line. I hope you'll change your mind on [Official Action] but I doubt it. Best Regards, Mark [signature].”