A 61-year-old man was sentenced Monday to nearly three years behind bars for making a series of phone calls to the Hawthorne office of Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, and threatening her with violence and death.
Brian Gaherty of Houston, Texas, was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine along with the 33-month term in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Gaherty pleaded guilty in January in downtown Los Angeles to one felony count of threatening a United States official.
A criminal indictment filed in federal court states that Gaherty called the congresswoman’s office twice in August 2022 and twice in November 2022. Gaherty left four voicemails, each of which contained a threat.
For example, in one of the calls, Gaherty threatened to “cut your throat,” court papers show.
Gaherty “knowingly threatened to assault and kill” Waters “with the intent to impede, intimidate and interfere” with the elected official while she was engaged in the performance of her official duties, according to the April 2023 indictment.
“Threats to harm and kill an elected official impact the intended victim, her entire staff and every constituent who is not receiving services because the elected official is dealing with the security threat,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada previously said in a statement.
“The entire Justice Department is dedicated to protecting American democracy, which includes combating threats that terrorize officials who have been elected to serve the public.”