A Virginia man was detained and charged with threatening to kill former Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who serves as the president of the Trump Kennedy Center, according to a press release.
In a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, it was revealed that Scott Allen Bolger, 33, was “charged by criminal complaint with transmitting threats in interstate commerce and making false statements.”
Through the use of Google Voice, on Dec. 23, Bolger sent “a message to a federal employee” threatening “to kill the employee,” according to court documents.
Bolger also “falsely identified himself as Brian Black” to “federal task force officers” who arrived at his home to question him, according to the press release.
Per the press release:
According to court documents, on Dec. 23, Scott Allen Bolger, 33, allegedly used Google Voice, which allows a user to text message others using a phone number other than the user’s primary phone number, to send a message to a federal employee. In the message, Bolger allegedly threatened to kill the employee.
While the federal employee was unnamed in the press release, officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) “identified Grenell” as the employee whom Bolger messaged, according to Fox News.
DOJ officials explained to the outlet that while a federal judge’s decision to hold Bolger “in pretrial detention is somewhat rare,” they added that it was a “win for the DOJ.”
“Threats of violence are serious crimes with serious consequences,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan said in a statement. “Those who target federal employees should know that we will investigate and prosecute these offenses to the fullest extent of the law.”
Bolger could face “five years in prison” if he is convicted.
