Pennsylvania – Joshua Hall pled guilty tomaking threats to kill a member of the United States Congress.
Hall previously pled guilty to wire fraud for impersonating family members of then-President Donald Trump on social media to fraudulently raise funds for a fictitious political organization.
At the time Hall made the threats to kill a member of the United States Congress, he was on pretrial release pending sentencing for the fraud scheme. Hall was arrested the same day the threats were made and was subsequently ordered detained pending sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Joshua Hall made terrifying threats to the staff of a United States Congressman whom he disliked rather than attempting to effect change through any of the freedoms of expression that all Americans enjoy. These threats of violence endanger our public officials and thwart common decency, which is why this Office will continue to prosecute crimes like those committed by Joshua Hall.”
According to the Information:
On or about August 29, 2022, Hall placed a series of telephone calls from in or around Yonkers, New York, to the California office of California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell. During those telephone calls, Hall conveyed threats to kill Swalwell to at least three different members of the Congressman’s staff.
On a telephone call with Staff Member-1 and Staff Member-2, Hall stated, in substance and in part, that he had a lot of AR-15s; that he wanted to shoot the Congressman; that he intended to come to the Congressman’s office with firearms; and that if he saw the Congressman, he would kill him. He further stated, in substance and in part, that he wanted to “beat the shit out of” the Congressman and that he would find the Congressman wherever he was and hurt him. On a telephone call with Staff Member-3, Hall stated, in substance and in part, that he intended to come to the Congressman’s office to kill the Congressman with firearms.
Hall, 22, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to one count of making interstate communications with a threat to injure, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Hall previously pled guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
DOJ
