A federal charge has been brought against a Las Vegas man who allegedly threatened to kill one of Nevada’s US senators with antisemitic voicemails.
John Anthony Miller, 43, of Las Vegas, was taken into custody by police on Thursday, and on Friday, he appeared in court for the first time. Miller faces a single count of making threats against a federal officer.
The US senator is not identified in the complaint, but Jacky Rosen’s office has confirmed that she received the threats. On her website, the Nevada Democrat highlights that she is the third Jewish woman to hold a Senate seat and calls herself a “loyal supporter of Israel.”
“It is important to take threats against public servants seriously. According to a statement from the senator’s office, “Senator Rosen trusts the U.S. Attorney’s office and federal law enforcement to handle this matter.”
A Miller attorney has been contacted by CNN for comment.
The appeals allude to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and are being made in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel, which are causing US-based advocacy groups to report an increase in hate crimes against Jews and Muslims.
According to the federal complaint, the senator received multiple hateful voicemails between October 11 and October 19, some of which called her derogatory names and threatened to “finish what Hitler started.” With the comment, “You done picked your side b*tch and you done chose evil,” the caller attempted to connect the senator’s support for Israel to her religious beliefs.
The complaint states that law enforcement was able to connect the number to earlier calls because Miller left his name in one of his voicemail outbursts.
Furthermore, according to the complaint, Miller attempted to enter the Las Vegas courthouse on October 18 in order to see the senator, but was turned away. Then he began to yell, “To kill every last Israeli terror-f**king-rist,” as he made his way down Las Vegas Boulevard.
The case will have a preliminary hearing on November 13 before US Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah.
