TAMPA, Fla. — A Sarasota man plead guilty to a federal charge after sending a threatening email to US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in 2019. The charge is one count of threatening a federal official.
According to a release from the US Department of Justice (DOJ), 67-year-old David Hannon sent the email to the Minnesota congresswoman threatening to kill her in July 2019. The email was sent following a televised press conference held by Rep. Omar and three other congressional members.
The DOJ also said Hannon's email made comments disparaging Omar's religion and other Congresswomen of color.
“Threatening to kill our elected officials, especially because of their race, ethnicity or religious beliefs, is offensive to our nation’s fundamental values,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “The Justice Department will not hesitate to prosecute individuals who violate federal laws that prohibit violent, hate-motivated threats. All elected officials, regardless of their background, should be able to represent their communities and serve the public free from hate-motivated threats and violence.”
The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police, and is being prosecuted by Civil Rights Division of the Middle District of Florida.
