A man from California who left threatening voicemails for former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas has been given a prison sentence of 11 months, as stated by the Justice Department on Wednesday.
David Allen Carrier, 44, admitted to two charges of making threats against a federal official on December 19, 2023, after being indicted by a grand jury on September 12, 2023.
Carrier made a threatening call to Pelosi's office just 15 days after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also left a threatening message for Mayorkas a year and a half later, on June 30, 2022.
By pleading guilty, Carrier confessed his intention to disrupt Pelosi's and Mayorkas's official duties as a member of Congress and as the DHS secretary.
U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey stated in a DOJ press release, "Participating in the public political conversation is an important right for all citizens. Nevertheless, threatening our public servants is not protected by the First Amendment and corrodes our ability to engage in peaceful and important public discourse. This Office will not tolerate behavior that crosses the line to criminal threats."
Carrier was directed to serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term, during which he must attend mental health and substance abuse treatment, among other conditions. Additionally, he was ordered to have no contact with Pelosi or Mayorkas.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp cautioned that "violent threats targeting elected officials also threaten our democratic system."
Tripp further added, "Today’s sentence demonstrates that anyone who sends politically motivated threats of violence to government officials will be investigated by the FBI and held accountable."
The sentencing comes at a time of increased political violence in the country, particularly with Pelosi and Mayorkas attracting negative attention from conservatives in recent years.
In October 2022, Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, was hospitalized after a man, looking for the former Speaker, entered their home and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer.
Mayorkas became the first cabinet secretary to be impeached since the 1870s, in a vote that DHS described as advancing “without a shred of evidence or legitimate Constitutional grounds.”
A spokesperson for Pelosi declined to comment.
