Robert S. Kanli, 33, a California native currently residing outside the United States, has been charged with threatening to kill a U.S. Embassy official in Kosovo.
According to court documents, Kanli was attempting to obtain a sixth United States passport when he was informed of a delay due to the number of lost passports he had previously reported. After learning that his $56 application fee could not be refunded, Kanli allegedly wrote a series of threatening emails to a Consular Officer in the United States Embassy in Kosovo.
These communications explicitly threatened to kill the embassy employee who was helping Kanli with his replacement passport application. Kanli was returned to the United States on January 10, 2014, after being released from custody in Kosovo, where he was held for threatening a foreign mission.
Robert S. Kanli, also known as Robert S. Martin, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted. He will appear in federal court on January 15, 2014, for a preliminary hearing and bond hearing.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Diplomatic Security Service, with assistance provided by the Republic of Kosovo Police and Department of Criminal Justice and the Austrian Federal Police in connection with Kanli’s arrest and return to the United States. Assistant United States Attorney Ronald L. Walutes, Jr. is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Criminal complaints are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Related Federal Cases
- Sohiel Omar Kabir, Conspiring to Kill US Government Employees, Virginia 2012 · Virginia
- Robert Paul Rundo, Conspiracy to Violate Anti-Riot Act, California 2023 · Florida
- Kevin Nicholas Munroe, Domestic Violence Firearm, West Virginia 2024 · Arkansas
- Stanislav Yelizarov, Threats Against Federal Official’s Family, Maryland 2024 · Washington
- Virginia Reyes, Conspiracy to Impede or Injure a Federal Office, California 2023 · Washington
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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