Kissimmee Man Guilty of Death Threats to Bernie Sanders

Kissimmee resident Robert Francis Pratersch, 57, was convicted yesterday on federal charges after a jury found him guilty of threatening to behead Senator Bernie Sanders in a series of vicious, anti-Semitic voicemails sent to the lawmaker’s Vermont office. The verdict, delivered in Orlando federal court, lands Pratersch one step from a potential 15-year prison sentence.

Pratersch left three threatening messages at the Office of Senator Bernie Sanders, each laced with profanity and escalating violence. In one, he explicitly threatened to “behead” Sanders “ISIS-style” and record the execution. The recordings, played during trial, sent chills through the courtroom and prompted immediate FBI intervention.

The messages weren’t just violent—they were steeped in hate. Prosecutors detailed numerous anti-Semitic remarks directed at Sanders, whose religion has long been a target of extremists. Authorities say the threats were not idle: they triggered a multi-agency investigation involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Capitol Police.

Pratersch, a 57-year-old man with no known prior terrorism ties, now faces the full weight of federal law. He was convicted of two counts: threatening a federal official and interstate transmission of a threat to injure. Both carry a maximum penalty of 15 years behind bars. No plea deal was offered; the jury rejected any argument that the messages were hyperbolic or protected speech.

Sentencing is set for July 16, 2019, in Orlando. If the court imposes the maximum, Pratersch could spend over a decade in federal prison for words that crossed the line into criminal terror. Assistant United States Attorney Vincent S. Chiu, who led the prosecution, called the threats “graphic, specific, and designed to instill fear.”

The case underscores the federal government’s aggressive stance on threats against public officials—especially those laced with hate and violent imagery. While free speech protections remain broad, the line vanishes when violence is promised. For Robert Francis Pratersch, that line was not just crossed—it was obliterated with a phone call.

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