NYC Man Convicted of Threatening to Kill Joe Manchin and Fox News Hosts Laura Ingraham, Greg Gutfeld
A man in New York City has been convicted of threatening to kill Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Fox News hosts Greg Gutfeld and Laura Ingraham.
The man, Rickey Johnson, was convicted on Thursday following a one-week trial, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
Johnson reportedly made the threats via direct messages to Manchin, Gutfeld, and Ingraham, as well as through videos publicly posted to Instagram.
“Rather than express his political differences constructively, Rickey Johnson escalated his discord by instilling fear,” United States Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement Friday. “Johnson’s attempts to scare and stifle a U.S. Senator and two Fox News hosts were federal crimes for which he has now been convicted by a New York jury.”
According to the release, Johnson sent Gutfeld a private message saying, “you will be killed,” on January 30, 2021. He later posted public videos threatening to kill all three — saying he would “kill” Ingraham with his “bare hands” and declaring Manchin was to be “executed.”
Johnson was convicted of two counts of transmitting threatening interstate communications — each carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison — and one count of threatening a public official, which could land you in prison for up to 10 years.
In addition to the charges, Johnson was also acquitted of one count of threatening a federal official following the trial.
“The maximum potential penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge,” the release added, noting that Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Lewis Kaplan on May 25, 2022.
