GREENBELT, Md. — A man is facing federal charges after he allegedly sent threatening emails to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins at the National Institutes of Health.
According to Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, 56-year-old Thomas Patrick Connally, Jr., is charged with threats against a federal official and interstate communication containing a threat to harm, specifically for sending emails threatening harm to Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins.
According to the affidavit, from December 28, 2020 to July 21, 2021, Connally used an email account to send a series of emails to Dr. Fauci, threatening to harm and/or kill him and members of his family.
One of the emails threatened that Dr. Fauci and his family would be “dragged into the street, beaten to death, and set on fire.”
Officials say that on April 24, 2021, seven threatening emails were sent within a ten minute time span.
“We will never tolerate violent threats against public officials,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lenzner. “Our public health officials deserve our thanks and appreciation for their tireless work, and we will not hesitate to bring charges against those individuals who seek to use fear to silence these public servants.”
The affidavit details that on the same day, Dr. Collins also received a total of four threatening emails from the same encrypted email address associated with Connally.
If convicted, Connally faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for threats against a federal official; and a maximum of five years in federal prison for interstate communication containing a threat to harm.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
