Paramus Man Sentenced In PA For Threatening Federal Judge

PARAMUS, NJ — A Bergen County man has been sentenced to more than a year in jail after he sent multiple threatening letters to a federal judge, and released their address on social media last year.

William Kaetz was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a charge or making restricted information publicly available, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Kaetz was sentenced by a Pennsylvania judge because New Jersey officials recused themselves because the judge Kaetz threatened is from the district, the publication said.

Kaetz was arrested in October 2020 when U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said he sent three pieces of communication to the judge — who has not been named — which contained threats of injury, assault and murder. Read more: Paramus Man Charged For Threatening Federal Judge: U.S. Attorney

In that email, he says the judge "has a death sentence" and refers to them multiple times as a "traitor." Additionally, Kaetz said he would release the judge's home address — which he obtained through a paid online source — to the public.

According to the Post-Gazette, Kaetz was sentenced for releasing that address, which he posted to Facebook and Twitter.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, investigators were first notified of the communication on Sept. 24, when Kaetz sent a letter to the judge's home. Kaetz believed that there were "excessive delays" in a pending case against him in the judge's court.

In an interview with investigators the same day, Kaetz insisted that the judge recuse themselves from his case, or be removed.

Investigators were later made aware of a voicemail left to the judge's chambers phone number around Sept. 18 which stated largely the same claims, but explained that he "would not take 'no' for an answer," according to the criminal complaint.

Kaetz is charged with making an interstate communication containing a threat to injure a person and threatening to assault and murder a federal judge.

According to InsiderNJ, Kaetz has been a member of the North Jersey Regional Tea Party since 2010.

His Twitter page, which is still active, largely contains links to ads for Donald Trump's re-election, as well as coronavirus conspiracy theories.

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