Bullhead City Man Guilty of Threatening to Kill Pelosi

Steven Arthur Martis, 77, of Bullhead City, Arizona, was convicted yesterday on one count of communicating an interstate threat to kill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A federal jury in Phoenix delivered the verdict after a trial that laid bare a chilling series of voicemails left at Pelosi’s Washington, D.C. office — messages that crossed state lines and triggered an immediate FBI response.

The threats were made on January 17, 2021, when Martis dialed Pelosi’s district office from his Arizona residence and left two voicemails. In the first, he snarled, “I’m coming to kill you . . . .” The second call carried no less venom: “You’re dead . . . .” These weren’t idle mutterings — they were direct, personal threats from a man who had already been warned by federal agents about prior similar conduct.

This wasn’t Martis’s first brush with federal scrutiny. The FBI had previously approached him over threatening calls, making his return to the same behavior not just reckless, but deliberate. Prosecutors emphasized that the defendant acted with full knowledge of the law and the consequences, yet chose to escalate his rhetoric into actionable threats against one of the highest-ranking officials in the U.S. government.

Acting United States Attorney Glenn B. McCormick didn’t mince words: “Although the First Amendment protects our right to free speech, which is one of our most precious individual rights, the United States Attorney’s Office takes threats to kill or harm another individual through a phone call or other form of interstate communication very seriously.” The statement underscores a hard line: free speech doesn’t shield death threats — especially not against elected leaders.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with support from the United States Capitol Police. Prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen Brook and Joseph Koehler of the District of Arizona’s Phoenix office. The conviction reinforces federal resolve to protect public officials from intimidation and violence — particularly in the volatile aftermath of the January 6 Capitol attack.

Martis is scheduled for sentencing on January 25, 2022. He faces up to ten years in federal prison. Case number CR-2021-08043-PCT-DJH. Release number 2021-087_Martis. # # #