Oakland County Man Threatens Judge; Gets More Prison Time: Officials

WHITE LAKE, MI — A White Lake man was sentenced to more prison time Wednesday after threatening a judge who sentenced him two years earlier, according to the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

Christopher Shenberger, 43, will now serve up to 20 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to attempted false report or threat of terrorism as a habitual fourth offender after threatening the judge, according to the attorney general's office.

In December 2021, Shenberger sent a letter to an Ingham County Circuit Court judge complaining about potentially being denied parole for not completing a required sex offender program while incarcerated and threatening the judge’s life, according to the attorney general's office.

Shenberger wrote in the letter that if he were required to serve his maximum sentence, he would put "everyone’s name on that docket" on a slip of paper to "go into a jar or whatever and who’s ever name [is picked] up will be killed plain and simple," according to the attorney general's office.

The judge, whom officials said Shenberger threatened in the letter, sentenced Shenberger up to 15 years in prison on two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2016, according to the attorney general's office.

The new sentence will be served consecutively with that 2016 sentence, of which five have already been served, according to the attorney general's office.

"Revenge threats against prosecutors and judges are serious offenses and my office will diligently prosecute these crimes to protect the public servants in our justice system," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said at the time of Shenberger’s guilty plea. "No judge should be sacrificing their own safety when they fulfill their duties protecting the public."