Brian Christopher King, Transmitting Interstate Threats, Florida 2020

Jacksonville, Florida – A disturbing case of threats against a US Senator has ended in a guilty plea. Brian Christopher King, a 62-year-old man from Interlachen, has pleaded guilty to transmitting interstate threats to injure the person of another, a serious charge that carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

According to the plea agreement, in March 2020, King made two telephone calls to a US Senator’s office in Washington, D.C., leaving voicemails laced with profanity and threatening to cut off the senator’s head. This was not an isolated incident, as King had previously made similar threats in 2018, prompting an FBI agent to warn him about the seriousness of threatening elected officials.

Despite the agent’s warnings, King continued to make threatening calls, including a call to a police department in California in June 2020, stating that he had heard someone was going to cut the heads off a particular US Senator and a member of the House of Representatives.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Capitol Police, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and the Daytona Beach Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.

The guilty plea marks a serious consequence for King’s actions, which posed a threat to the safety and well-being of a US Senator. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting the office of public officials and the gravity of threatening their safety.

King, 62, faces up to five years in federal prison for his crimes. A sentencing date has not been set.

The case highlights the need for vigilance in protecting public officials from threats and harassment. It also underscores the importance of holding individuals accountable for their actions, particularly when those actions pose a threat to the safety and well-being of others.

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