Brian Michael Gaherty, 61, from Houston, Texas, has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison and fined $10,000 for threatening to kill Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), according to federal officials.
U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner imposed a hate-crime enhancement on Gaherty’s sentence, acknowledging that he targeted Waters because of her race.
Joseph Vinas, Gaherty’s attorney, expressed his client’s remorse, attributing the threats to Gaherty’s mental health condition stemming from past trauma.
Vinas stated that Gaherty apologized to Waters during the sentencing, seeking forgiveness for his actions.
“But for the mental health condition [Brian Michael Gaherty] currently suffers as a result of being a victim of violent crime himself, this never would have occurred,” Vinas added, according to a report by NBC News.
In January, Gaherty pleaded guilty to threatening a United States official, admitting that he left voicemail threats on Waters’ district office phone in Los Angeles County in August and November 2022.
His threats included violent language and racial epithets, aimed at intimidating Waters in her official capacity.
Despite warnings from authorities to cease contact with Waters after the initial threats, Gaherty continued to leave menacing messages, culminating in further threats in November 2022.
He was subsequently arrested and indicted in August 2023 on multiple counts related to these threats.
The case underscores ongoing concerns about threats and intimidation faced by public officials, particularly those from marginalized communities, in the performance of their duties.
