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. The jury’s verdict closes a case rooted in venomous voicemails and a chilling disregard for federal law.

Martis made two calls from his Arizona residence to Pelosi’s Washington, D.C. district office on January 17, 2021. In the first voicemail, he growled, “I’m coming to kill you . . . .” Minutes later, he followed up with a second message declaring, “You’re dead . . . .” The calls were not impulsive—the FBI had previously warned Martis about making similar threats.

The Justice Department treated the matter as a direct assault on democratic institutions. Though cloaked as speech, the messages crossed the line into criminal territory, prosecutors argued. Interstate threats of violence, especially against elected officials, are not protected under the First Amendment, federal law enforcement officials emphasized.

Acting United States Attorney Glenn B. McCormick issued a blunt statement: “This case is an important reminder that, 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation, with critical support from the United States Capitol Police. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristen Brook and Joseph Koehler of the District of Arizona, Phoenix. Case number CR-2021-08043-PCT-DJH.

Martis is scheduled to be sentenced on January 25, 2022. He faces up to ten years in federal prison. The court has yet to determine bail status pending sentencing. Release number 2021-087_Martis.

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