David Allen Carrier was sentenced to 11 months in prison Wednesday for making threats to high-ranking government officials, the Post Millennial reported. The 44-year-old California man is facing two counts related to voicemails left for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In December, Carrier pleaded guilty to the crimes following a grand jury indictment. He was charged over two separate incidents involving voicemails left for Mayorkas and Pelosi.
Carrier left a "threatening" message for Mayorkas on June 30, 2022, with "the intent to interfere with the Secretary while the Secretary was engaged in the performance of his official duties as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security." He had previously done the same to Pelosi on January 21, 2021, when he "threatened to assault the Congresswoman" via voicemail.
Following his time in prison, Carrier is also required to serve an additional three years of supervised release. He has been barred from any contact with the DHS secretary or former Speaker.
The calls were taken seriously because of the high profile and rank of the victims. The FBI and the United States Secret Service (USSS) first launched the probe, followed by a prosecution from the DOJ's National Security and Cybercrime Section, NTD reported.
"Participating in the public political conversation is an important right for all citizens. Nevertheless, threatening our public servants is not protected by the First Amendment and corrodes our ability to engage in peaceful and important public discourse," U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey said.
"This Office will not tolerate behavior that crosses the line to criminal threats," Ramsey added. FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp similarly admonished Carrier's threats to public servants.
"Violent threats targeting elected officials also threaten our democratic system. Today’s sentence demonstrates that anyone who sends politically motivated threats of violence to government officials will be investigated by the FBI and held accountable," he added.
Shawn M. Bradstreet, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s San Francisco Field Office, said they take threats "seriously" when it comes to the people they protect. "This is a great example of the coordination and partnership between the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California to investigate and prosecute threats against our nation’s leaders."
The threats Carrier made are especially disturbing considering the attack on Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi's husband. On Oct. 28, 2022, David DePape broke into the couple's home and struck Paul Pelosi with a hammer, the Associated Press reported.
The 43-year-old was found guilty of assault on the immediate family member of a federal official and attempted kidnapping. Footage from police body cameras showed the brutal attack on Paul Pelosi, 82.
JUST IN: Paul Pelosi's hammer-wielding attacker is facing life in prison as his motive for the attack was revealed in a San Francisco courtroom.
David DePape pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to the attack.
DePape's legal counsel asserted his motivation behind the… pic.twitter.com/aR3r5HB0vy
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 10, 2023
DePape's attack was politically motivated. He had planned to interrogate Nancy Pelosi, saying, "If she lied, I would break her kneecaps. The choice is on her."
Law enforcement acted properly in protecting these officials from Carrier's threats. Regardless of political differences, this is not something that should ever happen to a public servant.
