Coon Rapids Man Indicted for Threatening a U.S. Senator

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September 16, 2022

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal grand jury returned an indictment against a Coon Rapids man for making interstate threats against a U.S. Senator, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents on June 11, 2022, Brendon Michael Daugherty, 35, left two voicemail messages on the field office telephone of a U.S. Senator located outside the state of Minnesota. Both messages contained threats of violence directed at the U.S. Senator. In his first message, Daugherty stated, “You and the Republican Party should be proud that you’re pushing me to become a domestic terrorist. Have a nice [expletive] day; can’t wait to kill ya.” In his second message, Daugherty stated, “I also just wanted to note, thank god the Republican Party is against gun control laws because it would keep guns out of the hands of a person that was disabled and volatile like I am, but you guys are totally against that. So I may actually get to carry out my nefarious goals.”

Field office staff retrieved and recorded the messages and reported them to U.S. Capitol Police. On September 2, 2022, special agents with the FBI spoke to Daugherty at his Coon Rapids residence. Daugherty told the agents he made the calls to the U.S. Senator because the U.S. Senator was “doing a bunch of stupid [expletive] with gun control,” and that he wants politicians to “feel a little bit pressured.”

Daugherty is charged with one count of threatening to murder a United States official and one count of interstate transmission of a threat. He made his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Svendsen is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/