An Alaska man pleaded guilty yesterday to making interstate threats to kidnap and injure a sitting U.S. Senator.
According to court documents, Arther Graham, 46, of Kenai, sent a web form submission to a U.S. Senator on Sept. 28, 2023, threatening to injure the Senator. Congressional staff members reported the threat to the U.S. Capitol Police and an investigation was launched.
“Threats of violence against public servants are abhorrent and unacceptable, and as this plea makes clear, the Justice Department will not tolerate them,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Our democracy depends on the ability of members of Congress to do their jobs without fearing for their safety. The Justice Department will continue to do everything in our power to protect those who serve the public and to hold accountable those who endanger them.”
Graham identified himself in the threat. Law enforcement later confirmed the sender was Graham and lived in Kenai. He was taken into custody by special agents from the U.S. Capitol Police and FBI at his home on Oct. 30, 2023.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 1 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Attorney General Garland, U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska, and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the U.S. Capitol Police made the announcement.
The U.S. Capitol Police and FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the Kenai Police Department and the Alaska State Troopers.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Vandergaw for the District of Alaska is prosecuting the case.