Bay Area man accused of threatening member of Congress, Florida lawmaker
A Bay Area man was arrested after being charged by federal authorities after allegedly making threats over social media to shoot lawmakers, including a member of Congress.
According to the U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of California, 22-year-old Aaditya Chand was charged with transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure a person, a felony. The charges stem from an investigation by the United States Capitol Police.
Chand was scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Wednesday.
The criminal complaint alleges that Chand used his Instagram account to send direct messages to an unidentified female member of the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 15. Chand allegedly called the lawmaker "Palestinian scum" and threatened to shoot up the lawmaker's office.
The messages were received by the lawmaker's staff in Washington, DC, prosecutors said.
Chand is also accused of sending messages to a Florida State Representative over Instagram, threatening to shoot the lawmaker and their staff. The Florida lawmaker was not identified.
Prosecutors said Chand faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
