A Nevada man was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for threatening to kill U.S. senators in a series of profane rants.
John Anthony Miller, 44, received 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release for making violent anti-Semitic threats to Democratic Senator Jackie Rosen (NV) and others. The man pleaded guilty to one count of threatening a federal official and two counts of influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official by threatening a family member.
Between October 11, 2023, and October 25, 2023, Miller left several voicemails for two senators, including Rosen.
In some of those messages, he called Rosen, who is Jewish, "subhuman" and threatened to "finish what Hitler started." Miller also aired grievances about the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli settlers.
The threats came days after Hamas' deadly assault on Israel on October 7, 2023.
"You f****** piece of s*** un-human, subhuman, you're vermin, b****, and we're gonna finish what Hitler started," he said in one of the messages.
"You're gonna burn in f****** hell for your f****** crimes ... You're gonna burn in hell, b****, and me and Jesus are gonna piss on you b****," he said in another.
On October 18, 2023, Miller appeared at the Lloyd D. George Courthouse in Las Vegas and said he was there to see Rosen. A security guard asked to have a closer look at his ID card, but Miller refused. After he was barred entry, he stormed out of the building and began shouting profanities, like "kill every last Israeli terror-*******rist" while walking down Las Vegas Boulevard.
Miller also threatened the families of two U.S. senators on October 24 and October 25.
Miller's lawyer calling the sentence "harsh" and said his client was addicted to meth.
"I felt the sentence was a little harsh for a nonviolent offender with a minimal criminal record, but we respect the court’s ruling and look forward to John moving forward and dealing with his addiction,” Jess Marchese, the lawyer, said to the AP.
The feds say the sentence sends a strong message about intimidating public officials.
"Violent threats against any individual are unacceptable," said Spencer Evans, Special Agent in Charge for the FBI Las Vegas Division. "But when they are directed at elected officials and their family members, threats have the potential to impact democracy itself by silencing those chosen to represent the American People."
