Rep. Maxine Waters stood at the podium in front of a federal judge as she recounted a nightmare triggered by threats from a Texas man, including threats to slit her throat .
Waters told U.S. District Judge Gary Klausner on Monday that her family, several of whom appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom, “live in fear every day” due to threats of violence from Houston resident Brian Michael Garherty. middle”.
Gaghetti, 61, pleaded guilty on Jan. 29 to one count of threatening a U.S. official. In his plea agreement, he admitted threatening to attack and murder Waters in a 2022 phone call in which he used a racial slur and made multiple references to the congresswoman’s race.
“This growing effort to target people of color and women of color … gives me nightmares. I’m scared for my life,” said Waters (D-Los Angeles).
“I believe we all have to take responsibility,” she added. “No one is above the law.”
Klausner agreed, sentencing Gelty to nearly three years in prison and fined him $10,000. The judge found Gaelty targeted Waters because of his race and imposed a hate crime enhancement on the sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Gaghetti’s attorneys, who had asked the judge to sentence his client to serve time in prison, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. As U.S. Marshals prepared to take Gakherty away, he told reporters that he was “sorry that this happened,” adding, “I have no hatred in my heart.”
“Threats to harm or kill elected officials are anathema to our nation’s values and must not — and will not — be tolerated,” the U.S. attorney said. Martin Estrada said in a press release. “My office and the entire Department of Justice will continue to combat threats against public officials and other attempts to suppress democracy.”
Gaherty admitted in his plea agreement to making threats against Waters four times in 2022 – twice on Aug. 8, once on Nov. 8 and once on Nov. 10. Around 12:00, Gaghetti called Waters at Hawthorne Accord, where she left an expletive-laden voicemail accusing her of “disrupting my people” and saying “I’m going to slit your throat.”
In the voicemail, Gaherty talked about putting a “hat” between Waters’ eyes and threatening to “stomp” on her. He also warned her that she “had better move out” because he and his “boys in the area” had a “contract” on her life.
Gaherty was arrested in April 2023 after prosecutors filed a criminal complaint outlining threats against Waters and accusing Gaherty of threatening other Houston elected officials and a news reporter. . A grand jury later indicted Gaherty on federal charges.
In court, Gaghetti’s attorney, Joseph Wieners, cited mental health issues and recounted a “terrible sequence of events” that affected his client. Venus said Gaherty was injured on the job, later fired, and at one point was the victim of a crime after he was shot in his driveway.
Venus added that the threats were “not credible” and there was no evidence “that he ever came to Los Angeles or traveled to Washington, D.C.”
“He never took any action or even attempted to follow up on these threats,” Venus said.
Assistant United States Attorney. Laura A. Alexander said Waters did not know Gaherty was “sitting in Texas” when he made the threats and had no way of knowing initially whether they were credible. Alexander said Gaherty also threatened a Latina congresswoman.
Waters told the judge she was disturbed to hear that Gaherty wanted to “slit my throat.” She describes herself as “haunted.”
She said that when someone called her name from behind, she did not answer because she did not know if the person wanted to identify her “so they could kill me.”
“I’m here today because I want to understand, I want to know why our people have such hatred and disgust toward people of color,” Waters said.
As Gaherty spoke, he clasped his hands, turned to Waters, who was sitting on the front bench, and said, “I’m sorry for what I did.” He said it had “nothing to do with race,” and told the court His godson is black, adding that he has five Latina girlfriends.
After the judge handed down the sentence, Waters hugged her family and told Alexander she did “a great job.”
“I hope this serves as a deterrent to people who think they can threaten elected officials, threaten to kill us and intimidate us,” Waters said outside court. “I really think it goes a long way toward holding him accountable. help.”
