RALEIGH, N.C.— The EDNC U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to protect the public by prosecuting criminal threats across the district. Since 2022, this Office has successfully prosecuted numerous threat-related cases. These prosecutions have involved a range of targeted victims, from individuals, federal employees, and elected officials to public institutions. These cases involve threats intended to intimidate, disrupt government operations, or make victims fear for their safety.
As a result of these enforcement efforts, convicted defendants have received substantial sentences in federal court. These outcomes underscore the seriousness with which the justice system treats threats of violence and the lasting impact such criminal behavior forces victims and the broader community to suffer.
Date
Case Name
Status
Charge
Prior Press Release
1 12/22 Lydia Crouse
5:22-CR-00345
1 year and 1-day federal prison 18USC875(c) Transmit threat in interstate commerce 2 4/25 Michael Ferr
5:25-CR-00036
2 years and 3 months federal prison 18USC871(a), 879,
and 115(a)(1)(A) Threaten to assault/murder immediate family member of U.S. official
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/raleigh-man-sentenced-federal-prison-threatening-kill-potus-and-us-secret-service 3 1/24 Robert Glauner
5:24-CR-00025
5 years federal prison 18USC875(c) Transmit threat in interstate commerce https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/albuquerque-man-sentenced-threatening-and-stalking-raleigh-woman-he-met-online 4 12/25 Blake Govea
5:25-CR-313
3 years supervised release 18USC115(a)(1)(A) Threaten to assault /murder immediate family member of U.S. official 5 1/25 Edward Huffman
5:25-CR-00030-M
6 months federal prison 18USC875(a) Transmit demand/request for ransom/reward for kidnapped person https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/man-arrested-after-threats-hunt-down-corporate-executives-and-their-families 6 11/25 Christopher Lancaster
5:23-CR-00036
1 year and 7 months federal prison 18USC115(a)(1)(B) Threaten to assault or murder Federal official 7 12/22 Timothy Mann
5:23-CR-00014
3 years federal prison 18USC875(c) Transmit threat in interstate commerce https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/man-sentenced-three-years-cyberstalking-after-months-harassment-and-violent-threats 8 8/25 Ashley Moore
5:25-CR-00245
1 year
& 1-month federal prison
18USC875(c) Transmit threat in interstate commerce https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/woman-sentenced-year-jail-threats 9 9/25 Zachary Newell
7:25-CR-00095
2 years federal prison 18USC875(c) Transmit threat in interstate commerce https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/newport-man-sentenced-2-years-threatening-shoot-and-skin-black-preschoolers 10 11/24 Matthew Woodruff
5:24-CR-00349
2 years & 6 months federal prison 18USC875(a) Transmit demand/request for ransom/reward for kidnapped person 11 5/22 Carl Abernathey
7:22-CR-00065
3 years supervised release with location monitoring 18USC875(c) Transmit threat in interstate commerce 12 7/23 Jason Evans
5:23-CR-00233
1 year and 6 months federal prison 18USC875(c) Transmit threat in interstate commerce 13 7/23 Steven Tomes
5:23-CR-00274
5 years’ probation 18USC875(c) Transmit threat in interstate commerce 14 10/24 Jesse Metcalf
5:24-CR-00293
Charged, Pending Trial July 2026 18USC875(c) Transmit threat in interstate commerce 15 4/26 Eric Byrd
5:26-CR-69
Charged, Pending Arraignment 18USC875(a) Transmit demand/request for ransom/reward for kidnapped person 16 4/26 James Comey
4:26-CR-00016
Charged, Pending Arraignment 18USC871
Threats against President
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-former-fbi-director-james-comey-threats-harm-president-trump 17 4/26 Christopher Hill
7:23-CR-00056
Charged, Pending Arraignment 18USC871
Threats against President
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/wilmington-man-indicted-threatening-president-trump 18 4/26 Daniel McSwain
5:26-MJ-01682
Charged,
Pending Arraignment 18USC871
Threats against President
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/south-carolina-man-arrested-threatening-kill-president 19 4/26 Richard Warren
7:26-CR-00026
Charged, Pending Arraignment 18USC115(a)(1)(B) Threaten to assault or murder Federal official 20 7/24 Joshua Justice Charged, pending evaluation 18USC115 Threaten
to assault or murder Federal official
These prosecutions reflect the Office’s ongoing commitment to public safety, ensuring that individuals who make threats—whether in person, online, or through other means—are held accountable under federal law. Our Office works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these cases.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of North Carolina — U.S. Department of Justice press release.