Universal City Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening U.S. Official

A 59-year-old Universal City, Texas man has admitted to threatening to murder a sitting member of Congress and the lawmaker’s family in a chilling voicemail left in 2017. James Amos Headley pleaded guilty today in San Antonio federal court to two counts of influencing a federal official by threat of murder, capping a five-year investigation rooted in political rage and intimidation.

Headley, who remains in federal custody since his arrest on July 13, 2017, left a threatening message on the victim’s Washington, D.C. voicemail system just two days prior—on July 11, 2017. In the recording, he explicitly threatened to kill the member of Congress and their family. The communication triggered an immediate response from federal authorities, leading to a swift FBI and U.S. Capitol Police investigation.

During interrogation, Headley told agents he was enraged by the congressman’s stance on several policy issues and decided to act. ‘I wanted to show I meant business,’ he reportedly said, admitting the call was intended to intimidate and obstruct the official from carrying out their duties. The threat, while not carried out, was deemed credible and sufficient to endanger federal operations.

Today, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez accepted the guilty plea and sentenced Headley to one year of confinement—split between six months in federal prison and six months under home confinement, with credit for time served. The judge also ordered three years of supervised release following completion of the home detention phase.

The case was investigated by FBI special agents in San Antonio in coordination with the U.S. Capitol Police, underscoring the seriousness with which threats against federal officials are treated. No weapons or physical actions were reported, but federal law treats credible verbal threats as serious acts of intimidation against the government.

Assistant United States Attorney Bettina Richardson prosecuted the case for the government. Headley’s sentencing sends a clear message: threatening elected officials—even from behind a phone—carries real consequences. The incident remains a stark reminder of the volatile intersection between public policy and personal vendettas in today’s political climate.