A Florida man is facing federal charges for making violent threats against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Paul Hoeffer, 60, was charged with three counts of interstate transmission of threats to injure and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, according to a statement from the Southern District of Florida United States Attorney’s Office.
In March 2019, Hoeffer threatened to travel a “long, long way” to riddle Pelosi’s head with bullets and decapitate her, the statement said. He then in November 2020 called Ocasio-Cortez and said that he would “rip her head off” and told her to sleep with one eye open.
The statement from the attorney’s office did not explicitly name Ocasio-Cortez and Pelosi as the congresswomen who were threatened by Hoeffer, but the indictment lists the members as “N.P.” and “A.O.C,” according to West Palm Beach outlet WPTV.
The Hill has reached out to the attorney’s office to confirm that Ocasio-Cortez and Pelosi were the congresswomen listed in the indictment.
Hoeffer was released from prison on Dec. 1 on a $100,000 personal recognizance bond and was instructed to remain in his home with the exceptions of court and medical appointments, Politico reported. His trial is set for late January.
The charges are the latest in a disturbing trend of threats against Congress members. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) shared a graphic voicemail containing threats against her last week after a series of Islamophobic comments from Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). Republican Rep. Fred Upton (Mich.) also shared a threatening voicemail he received last month from a person telling him “I hope you die” after he voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill.