Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening Pai, Family
A California man who threatened FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and his family via email over Pai’s policies on net neutrality pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, Friday, said a DOJ release. Markara Man (see 1806290071) faces a…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
maximum of 10 years in prison when sentenced Dec. 7, though the release said actual penalties are typically less than the maximum. “I would like to thank the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, local law enforcement, and FCC security officials for their hard work protecting my family and me," said Pai Monday. “I am deeply grateful for all they have done to keep us safe.” Man allegedly sent Pai several threatening emails, one of which included the addresses of Arlington, Virginia, area preschools and "I will find your children and I will kill them.” One of Man’s emails allegedly accused Pai of being responsible for the suicide of a child and another contained photographs of Pai and his family gathered through Internet image searches. “The FBI traced the emails to Man’s residence in Norwalk, California, and when initially confronted in May 2018, Man admitted to the FBI that he sent the email threatening Chairman Pai’s family,” DOJ said. During an FBI search of his house, Man factory-reset his cellphone to wipe its records, Justice said. “When asked about the phone being in setup mode, Man lied to the FBI and claimed that he had received it a month earlier and not set it up yet.” Man sought bail pending sentencing. DOJ filed in opposition (URLs in Pacer).