Man accused of threatening judges in Trump cases, others

A Las Vegas man was charged with 22 criminal counts related to threatening to kill federal judges and other officials in New York and Washington, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Spencer Gear allegedly sent multiple threatening phone calls and emails threatening to kill judges and other federal employees between last November and this month, according to federal prosecutors. He was charged with 10 counts of threatening a federal official and 12 counts of transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure.

While court documents do not disclose the names of the judges threatened, the initials given appear to identify two judges associated with former President Trump’s legal cases; Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversaw two civil trials against Trump in New York, and Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw his New York criminal trial. 

Politico reported that Gear also sent threats to five district court judges in Washington: Beryl Howell, Reggie Walton, Christopher Cooper, Jia Cobb and Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.

“The citizens we rely on to serve the public must be able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “The Justice Department has no tolerance for acts and threats of violence targeting public servants, and we will stop at nothing to find and bring to justice those responsible.”

Gear trial is scheduled for Sept. 24. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 10 years for each count of threatening a federal official and five years for each count of transmitting a threat.