John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of
Connecticut, and David Sundberg, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven
Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that ROBERT M.
PHELPS, 62, of Torrington, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with
threatening to murder U.S. Representative Adam Schiff of California.
Phelps was arrested on March 13. Following his arrest, he appeared before U.S.
Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport and was released on a
$25,000 bond.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court,
on November 12, 2019, the office of U.S. Representative Adam Schiff received a
threatening communication through a Meeting Request entry form on Congressman
Schiff’s official website. The meeting
request included the statement “…I want to kill you with my bare hands and
smash your…face in.” In addition, in
response to the preferred days of the week for the meeting request, Phelps
wrote “Measure your Coffin day.”
It is further alleged that, on December 4, 2019,
investigators interviewed Phelps at his Torrington residence and confirmed that
Phelps sent the threatening communication.
The complaint charges Phelps with threatening to assault and
murder a U.S. official, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10
years, and with making interstate threats, which carries a maximum term of
imprisonment of five years.
U.S. Attorney Durham stressed that a complaint is only a
charge and is not evidence of guilt.
Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent
unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P.
Morabito.
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