A California man received an 11-month prison sentence after he was found guilty of making threatening phone calls to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Justice Department made this announcement on Wednesday.
David Carrier, a 44-year-old resident of Concord, admitted to guilt on two charges of making threats against public officials in December 2023.
Federal prosecutors sought a sentence of just four years of probation for Carrier. They acknowledged that he promptly accepted guilt and recognized his “lapse of judgment” in making the threats. This information was mentioned in a sentencing memorandum filed last week.
The judge, Judge William Alsup, who presided over his case, ultimately disagreed with Carrier. Along with the 11-month prison sentence, Judge Alsup also mandated that Carrier serve three years of probation. In addition, the judge required Carrier to undergo mental and substance abuse treatment upon his release. This decision was made during the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, as confirmed by prosecutors.
According to federal prosecutors, Carrier left a voicemail with Pelosi’s San Francisco office on January 21, 2021, the day after President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
According to prosecutors, a message that was initially heard by an intern as a threat was forwarded to her bosses, who then passed on the voicemail to law enforcement for investigation.
In a disturbing turn of events, it has been revealed that more than a year later, he resorted to making threatening calls to Mayorkas. According to prosecutors, on June 30, 2022, he conveyed a menacing message to an operator from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General. He explicitly stated, “If [Mayorkas] does not close the border, someone is going to be shot. And it will be illegal immigrants.” This alarming incident highlights the severity of the situation and the need for immediate action.
Prosecutors said that law enforcement received the voicemail message and considered it to be a threat, which prompted an investigation.
U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey, whose office prosecuted the case, emphasized the significance of citizens’ participation in the public political conversation. However, he also emphasized that threatening public servants goes beyond the protection of the First Amendment and undermines our capacity to engage in peaceful and meaningful public discourse. In a statement, Ramsey made it clear that his office will not tolerate behavior that crosses the line into criminal threats.
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