Annapolis man sentenced to federal prison for threatening a Texas lawmaker
BALTIMORE -- An Annapolis man has been sentenced to four months in federal prison for threatening to murder a member of Congress, according to the Office of the Maryland U.S. Attorney.
The prison sentence for 40-year-old Justin Kuchta will be followed by one year of supervised release, state authorities said.
Investigators learned of the threat after the Texas-based district office for a member of Congress reported seeing a threatening message on an event management website, according to the Office of the Maryland U.S. Attorney.
The website was being used by an event planner to coordinate an event held in Missouri that the lawmaker expected to attend, state authorities said.
The report was made on July 18, 2022, state authorities said. That's when someone noticed that Kuchta had expressed his gratitude for the address and said he was "coming to murder all of you" and in particular the lawmaker.
The lawmaker's Washington office reported seeing a similar message that used the same event management website on July 22, 2022, according to the Office of the Maryland U.S. Attorney.
Investigators were able to trace the IP address to Kuchta, state authorities said.
Kuchta initially denied sending the messages, according to the Office of the Maryland U.S. Attorney.
But in his plea agreement, Kuchta said he made threats to murder the lawmaker, state authorities said.