West Virginia man going to prison after threats to Fauci

(The Hill) — A West Virginia man on Thursday was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison after making threats to White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci and others.

Thomas Patrick Connally Jr. will spend three years in prison followed by three more years of supervised release for his threats against Fauci; former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins; Rachel Levine, assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services; a Massachusetts public health official; and a religious leader.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sentenced Connally after he pleaded guilty to using an anonymous email to make gruesome threats against Fauci and others from late 2020 through mid-2021.

One email to Fauci said that he and his family would be “dragged into the street, beaten to death and set on fire.”

Connally also threatened to attack and kill Collins and his family if he continued to promote mandatory vaccinations for COVID-19.

“Connally admitted that he sent the threats to Drs. Fauci and Collins with the intent to intimidate or interfere with the performance of their official duties and with the intent to retaliate against Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins for performing their official duties, including discussing COVID-19 and its testing and prevention,” wrote the Justice Department.

Connally threatened the three remaining figures with physical violence and death as well.

“Everyone has the right to disagree, but you do not have the right to threaten a federal official’s life,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron. “Threats like these will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank added: “The public, including public servants, deserve the utmost safety and the assurance that they can perform their duties without interference.”