A man who posted videos threatening to kill Sen. Joe Manchin and Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham and Greg Gutfeld was convicted Thursday of threatening a federal official and making interstate threats.
The man, Rickey Johnson, was convicted by a jury after a weeklong trial in Manhattan federal court, according to a news release. He was convicted of two counts of transmitting threatening interstate communications and one count of threatening a federal official. He was acquitted of one count of threatening a federal official, the release said.
Prosecutors accused Johnson of sending a direct message to Gutfeld in January 2021 saying “you will be killed,” and in February 2021 he posted public videos in which he threatened to kill Manchin, Gutfeld and Ingraham.
Prosecutors allege Johnson said Manchin was “dead” and would be “executed,” that he was going to kill Ingraham with his “bare hands” and that he was going to take Gutfeld’s life.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Gutfeld and Ingraham for comment, a spokesperson for Manchin declined to comment.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams released a statement on what he said were Johnson’s attempts to “scare and stifle” a senator and Fox News hosts.
“Rather than express his political differences constructively, Rickey Johnson escalated his discord by instilling fear,” Williams said.
Johnson could face up to 20 years in prison and is expected to be sentenced May 25.