The aforesaid time that Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Robert Lemke told a congressman’s member that helium was with “armed members adjacent your home,” prosecutors said.
Dec. 21, 2021, 2:35 p.m. ET
A California antheral who pleaded blameworthy to threatening dozens of people, including members of Congress and journalists, for saying that erstwhile President Donald J. Trump had mislaid the 2020 predetermination was sentenced connected Monday to 3 years successful prison.
The man, Robert Lemke, 36, sent texts and dependable messages to astir 50 radical betwixt November 2020 and aboriginal January. Several of the messages warned elected officials and reporters to halt telling the nationalist that Joseph R. Biden Jr. had won the election, and said that Mr. Lemke and others were “armed,” national prosecutors said.
Damian Williams, the U.S. lawyer for the Southern District of New York, said connected Monday that Mr. Lemke had targeted his victims “for the perceived discourtesy of stating the facts.”
“Rather than attempting to effect alteration done the lawful forms of look that each of america Americans inactive enjoy, Lemke sought to quell state of expression, to intimidate and instill fearfulness successful others by threats of violence,” Mr. Williams said successful a statement.
Julia L. Gatto, a lawyer for Mr. Lemke, did not respond to requests for remark connected Tuesday.
On Jan. 6, the aforesaid time that Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Mr. Lemke sent messages to the member of Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, a Democrat.
“Your member is putting your full household astatine hazard with his lies and different words,” 1 of the messages read, according to national tribunal documents. “We are equipped and adjacent your house. You had amended person a connection with him. We are not acold from his either.”
Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, was besides threatened, according to a missive she wrote to Judge Alvin Hellerstein. She said that aft she spoke connected the Senate level connected Jan. 6 astir the value of certifying the results of the election, she received a substance from Mr. Lemke.
The missive said Mr. Lemke texted her that the insurrection that time was the “tip of the iceberg” and described himself arsenic portion of “underground connection networks” of retired subject and instrumentality enforcement personnel.
“We are watching,” helium said, according to the letter. Ms. Duckworth told the justice that “In that infinitesimal — and for weeks afterwards — I was terrified for my family.” She added, “We’ve been forced to crook our location into a bunker.”
Mr. Lemke was arrested by national authorities successful California that month. He pleaded guilty successful October to making threatening interstate communications.
Prosecutors said connected Monday that helium utilized “various physics accounts” and astatine slightest 3 telephone numbers to disguise his individuality erstwhile helium sent threats. They besides said that, contempt his claims, helium was not affiliated with instrumentality enforcement oregon the military.
Mr. Lemke’s lawyer, Ms. Gatto, described him successful tribunal documents arsenic a troubled antheral with a past of intelligence unwellness and alcoholism but nary past of carnal violence. She said helium was “egged connected by the incendiary rhetoric” connected societal media, from politicians and successful quality stories.
“Mr. Lemke was consumed with the communicative that the predetermination had been stolen from Donald Trump,” Ms. Gatto wrote successful a sentencing memorandum, which asked that Mr. Lemke beryllium sentenced to the 11 months helium had already served successful national prison.
“Mr. Lemke is genuinely remorseful for his actions,” Ms. Gatto wrote.
Mr. Lemke’s lawsuit is 1 of respective successful which Mr. Trump’s supporters person been charged with threatening nationalist figures for rejecting the mendacious communicative that Mr. Trump won the election.
Federal prosecutors person not publically identified astir of the radical who were threatened successful Mr. Lemke’s case.
But the bureau of Representative Jeffries confirmed successful January that the congressman and his brother, Hasan Jeffries, a past prof astatine the Ohio State University, were targets. A idiosyncratic briefed connected the probe besides confirmed to The New York Times that the idiosyncratic referred to successful the ailment arsenic “Journalist-1” was George Stephanopoulos, an ABC News anchor.
Mr. Lemke, of Bay Point, Calif., told Professor Jeffries that helium was portion of a radical of “active/retired instrumentality enforcement oregon military” that had “armed members adjacent your home,” according to tribunal documents.
Key Figures successful the Jan. 6 Inquiry
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Professor Jeffries said successful an email that helium was satisfied with the condemnation and declined to remark beyond a missive helium sent to Judge Hellerstein.
The missive said that the texts had created “a palpable consciousness of fear” successful his home.
“I could spot it successful my 11-year-old daughter’s eyes erstwhile she wondered whether the unusual creak successful the location was really idiosyncratic trying to interruption successful and harm us,” Professor Jeffries wrote.
He said that Mr. Lemke turned “a family’s satellite upside down” and “shook america to the core.”
Mr. Lemke sent a akin substance to a comparative of Mr. Stephanopoulos, saying that the journalist’s words were “putting you and your household astatine risk.”
“We are nearby, equipped and ready,” Mr. Lemke wrote, according to prosecutors. “Thousands of america are active/retired instrumentality enforcement, military, etc. That’s however we bash it.”
Brian Stelter, CNN’s main media correspondent, said successful an nonfiction published Monday that helium and a colleague, the anchor Don Lemon, had been among the journalists that Mr. Lemke had threatened. Mr. Stelter described 1 connection helium received from Mr. Lemke that included a photograph of his father’s grave.
He said that Mr. Lemon began “choking up” portion telling Judge Hellerstein that Mr. Lemke had called him “horrendous names,” including homophobic and racist slurs.
“I americium bushed of looking implicit my shoulder,” Mr. Lemon said, according to Mr. Stelter’s account. “I americium bushed of being suspicious of adjacent affable faces successful public.”
Mr. Stelter besides discussed the threats connected Monday connected his amusement “Reliable Sources,” wherever helium thanked prosecutors and the F.B.I. and expressed anticipation that the lawsuit “really is simply a statement” that trying to scare journalists into soundlessness would not beryllium tolerated.
“Threats and harassment hinder a escaped press,” Mr. Stelter said. “This is the benignant of harassment that journalists consciousness each day. It is pervasive.”
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