Man Who Threatened to Kill Trump Gets 9 Years

A Connecticut man with a history of mental illness has been sentenced to nine years in prison for a series of threats—including one to kill former President Trump. Gary Joseph Gravelle, 53, has been incarcerated since 2018, when he sent a threatening letter to the then-president with a white powder he claimed was anthrax, the New York Times. According to the Justice Department, the New Haven resident also threatened "various mental health providers and facilities in New Haven, US Probation Officers, a US District Court Judge, an international airport in Vermont, a federal prison in Washington, occupants of a building in Old Saybrook, a credit union in Bristol, and organizations and religious centers in Connecticut."

Gravelle, who pleaded guilty to seven charges last year, could have faced more than 60 years in prison. His sentence includes two years for violating the terms of his release after a previous sentence for sending threatening messages. Lawyer J. Patten Brown said his client is a "sick man" whose threats were a "misguided cry for help." "It’s a sad case," he told the Times earlier this month. "Honestly, it’s another example that we use jails for mental institutions." Prosecutors, however, said the threats "disrupted the daily lives of many and no doubt seriously frightened their recipients." (More President Trump stories.)