Quadri Garnes, Transmission of Threats to Injure, New York 2022

A Brooklyn man has been convicted of threatening to shoot and kill employees of the New York State Department of Labor.

Quadri Garnes, 48, of Brooklyn, was found guilty of transmission of threats to injure in a federal jury trial in Brooklyn.

Garnes made the threats on September 29, 2022, after he was denied unemployment benefits due to his short tenure as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS).

During a 45-minute recorded call with two DOL employees, Garnes made several threatening statements, including "If I go back to the post office, I’m gonna shoot somebody" and "I’ll be at the New York State Department of Labor down on Schermerhorn or Livingston Street and I will make a big f—-ng deal out of it."

The threats triggered an immediate response by the DOL, the New York State Police, and by Postal Inspectors, who took precautions against Garnes’s return to the postal facility where he had briefly worked and the DOL office he named.

Garnes was arrested approximately two weeks after making his threats and now faces up to 5 years in prison when sentenced.

United States Attorney Breon Peace called the verdict "a clear message that threats of violence against government employees will not be tolerated" and said his office is committed to protecting civil servants who are subjected to work-related threats.

USPIS Inspector in Charge Daniel B. Brubaker added, "Today’s guilty verdict should signal to anyone who makes threats of violence against federal employees that their actions will absolutely not be tolerated on any level."

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Antoinette N. Rangel and Alexander Mindlin, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Rebecca Roth.

Garnes is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.

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