Maryland Man Threatened To Kill Member Of Congress: DOJ

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A Maryland man is facing federal charges after authorities said he sent online messages threatening to kill a member of Congress, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland.

Justin Kuchta, 39, of Annapolis, is charged with one count of interstate communication containing a threat to injure. According to court documents, Kuchta sent a threatening message on July 18 to a member of Congress in Texas.

The message was sent via an event management website and stated, "Thank you for the address!!! I’m coming to murder all of you Satanist f------!!! Especially the chucklef--- Zodiak [sic] Killer [Member of Congress 1]!!"

Federal prosecutors did not identify the target of the threat, but both CNN and The Washington Post reported the threat was made to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

The threat may have referred to a noncredible rumor linking Cruz to the Zodiac killer, a serial murderer from the 1960s who was never identified, the Post reported.

According to an affidavit, the congressman's Washington office received a similar message on July 22 through the same event management website.

Investigators tracked the IP address from which the message was sent to a private high-speed network operated by the state of Maryland and a computer assigned to Kuchta, officials said.

Kuchta was interviewed by special agents with the U.S. Capitol Police at his place of employment in Annapolis. Initially, Kuchta denied sending the messages, officials said; however, he eventually told authorities he sent the July 18 message while working from home on his government-issued computer.

If convicted, Kuchta faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.