Louisiana Man Sentenced to Prison for Threatening to Shoot a US Congressperson

Monroe, Louisiana - A man in Louisiana has been sentenced to three years in prison for threatening to shoot a US congressperson in a series of over 100 phone calls. The threats were made in October 2021, and the perpetrator was subsequently investigated by the US Capitol Police and the FBI.

United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown stated on Monday, December 19, 2022, that Chase Levi Thibodeaux, 39, of Ruston, Louisiana, has been sentenced to 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for transmitting threats in interstate commerce.

These accusations derive from an event that occurred on or around October 12, 2021, when Thibodeaux called the office of a New York-based member of the United States Congress. Thibodeaux indicated in his voicemail that he would purchase an Uzi and shoot the congressman in the streets. He added that he would purchase a Walther PPK with a silencer and that the congressman would "never know what hit [them]."

The United States Capitol Police launched an inquiry into the threats and discovered that Thibodeaux had made the phone call and left the threatening message. In addition, detectives discovered during their investigation that Thibodeaux had made over 100 calls to the Congressional Office and left voicemails directly for a member of Congress over the course of two months.

The United States Capitol Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg prosecuted the case.