Feds arrest 2 Michigan men for allegedly making election threats
(CBS DETROIT) - Two Michigan men have been arrested for allegedly making election threats in two separate incidents, the U.S. Attorney's Office said on Tuesday.
According to federal criminal complaints, a 46-year-old man from Jackson allegedly sent two threatening emails to a political action committee (PAC) on Oct. 2, while a 25-year-old man from Ann Arbor allegedly threatened to "shoot conservative Christians" if Trump wins the election a few days before Election Day.
The complaint shows that one of the alleged emails sent by the Jackson man said in part, "Every day, your people contact me with a campaign ad and it's calling me racist. You motherf****** contact meagain [sic] I guarantee I can find each and every one of your f****** organizees. I'm a member of that American patriotf****** three b****. And we will turn you motherf****** inside out."
Investigators interviewed the man on Oct. 30 at his home, where he allegedly admitted to sending the emails, According to the complaint, he claims that he did not see them as threatening. Investigators say he instead claimed that he was the one being harassed by PAC.
The Jackson man is charged with one count of making a threatening interstate communication and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Authorities arrested the Ann Arbor man after the FBI National Threat Operations Center received an anonymous online threatening submission on Nov. 2, according to the criminal complaint.
An investigation into the IP address uncovered a phone number linked to the man. He admitted to owning the phone number associated with the online submission. Investigators also found that he was linked to a Reddit user account that targeted Trump on Sept. 23.
The Ann Arbor man is set to make a court appearance on Tuesday.
