Fla. Man Gets Prison for Threatening Justice Roberts

(AP)

Neal Brij Sidhwaney, 43, of Fernandina Beach, Fla., has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for making threatening remarks towards Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as well as the larger court, The Hill reported.

U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard issued the sentence after Sidhwaney pleaded guilty to a single count of making an interstate threat to injure in December.

Sidhwaney’s transgression involved placing a call to the Supreme Court in July, where he left a threatening voicemail message laden with expletives. Notably, he directed his threat towards Roberts, stating, “I will f—— kill you,” according to court documents.

This act occurred twice before Sidhwaney’s subsequent arrest in August.

The incident follows a trend of threats against public officials, which have been on the rise in recent years. A report by the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center revealed that since 2013, there have been 501 threats against public officials resulting in federal charges.

The report highlighted spikes in threats during 2017 and 2021, coinciding with national election cycles. Furthermore, threats against the military and law enforcement, including judges and prosecutors, were identified as the most common.

Sidhwaney’s sentencing comes less than a year after another individual, Nicholas John Roske, was arrested for allegedly attempting to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Roske’s arrest in June 2022 followed closely after a leak of the Supreme Court’s draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

As threats against public officials continue to escalate, law enforcement agencies are vigilant in addressing such incidents and ensuring the safety of those in positions of authority.