TAMPA, Fla. — A Sarasota man plead guilty to a federal charge after sending a threatening email to US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in 2019. The charge is one depend of threatening a federal official.
According to a release from the US Department of Justice (DOJ), 67-year-old David Hannon despatched the email to the Minnesota congresswoman threatening to kill her in July 2019. The email was despatched following a televised press convention held by Rep. Omar and three different congressional members.
The DOJ additionally mentioned Hannon’s email made feedback disparaging Omar’s faith and different Congresswomen of colour.
“Threatening to kill our elected officials, especially because of their race, ethnicity or religious beliefs, is offensive to our nation’s fundamental values,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division mentioned. “The Justice Department will not hesitate to prosecute individuals who violate federal laws that prohibit violent, hate-motivated threats. All elected officials, regardless of their background, should be able to represent their communities and serve the public free from hate-motivated threats and violence.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI with help from the U.S. Capitol Police, and is being prosecuted by Civil Rights Division of the Middle District of Florida.