Florida man pleads guilty to threatening to kill a Supreme Court justice

Originally Published: 18 DEC 23 22:48 ET By Mary Kay Mallonee, CNN

(CNN) — A Florida man pleaded guilty last week to threatening to kill a Supreme Court justice.

Neal Brij Sidhwaney, 43, of Fernandina Beach, Florida, called the Supreme Court on July 31 “and left an expletive-laden, threatening voicemail message” for a member of the high court, according to a Justice Department news release.

Sidhwaney was arrested in August, court records show. He pleaded guilty on Friday to transmitting an interstate threat to kill.

The Justice Department did not identify which justice was the target of the threatening phone call, but online court documents revealed the threat was made against Chief Justice John Roberts.

“The identified official is Chief Justice John Roberts whom he allegedly contacted by phone call and threatened to kill,” according to a competency assessment of Sidhwaney filed online with a federal court in Florida.

CNN has reached out to Sidhwaney’s attorney.

The US Supreme Court Police Protective Intelligence Unit investigated the case with help from the Capitol Police Threat Assessment Section, the Justice Department said.

Sidhwaney faces up to five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

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