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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, speaks during a news conference in December. On Tuesday, a North Carolina man was sentenced to more than two years in prison for threatening Pelosi . Photo by Sarah Silbiger/UPI | License Photo
Dec. 14 (UPI) — A man who pleaded guilty to threatening to shoot House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a day after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in prison.
Cleveland Grover Meredith, Jr., 53, was sentenced to 28 months in prison after pleading guilty on Sept. 10 to interstate communication of threats. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson also ordered Meredith to serve three years of supervised release after being released from prison.
Meredith arrived in Washington, D.C., from Colorado the evening of Jan. 6 after the riots had ended, according to the U.S. Justice Department. He planned to arrive on Jan. 5 to attend various rallies but was delayed, court documents state. While in his hotel in Washington, D.C., he sent a text to a relative that included a threat directed at Pelosi.
Meredith, of Hayesville, N.C., said in the text he was thinking of heading over to Pelosi’s speech and “and putting a bullet in her noggin on live TV,” according to court documents.
The message included a purple devil emoji.
The relative contacted Meredith’s mother who alerted the FBI.
FBI agents arrested Meredith at a hotel about a mile from the U.S. Capitol. He allowed agents to search his phone, truck and trailer. Agents found a Glock 9 mm pistol, a Tavor X95 military-style rifle with a telescopic sight, about 2,500 rounds of ammunition, as well as a large-capacity ammunition feeding device inside the trailer, according to court documents.
In the hotel room, agents seized a box of suspected THC edibles and a vial of testosterone cypionate/propionate.
After searching his phone, agents found text messages on Meredith’s phone to others where he threatened to run over Pelosi “while she chews on her gums.”
“I predict that within 12 days, many in our country will die,” he later wrote in the text.
Meredith was also charged with possessing an unregistered firearm in Washington, D.C.
Following the Jan. 6 incident where rioters attempted to prevent the certification of the 2020 election, more than 700 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the Capitol, according to the Justice Department. Over 220 individuals have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. Federal authorities continue to investigate.
1/5 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, speaks during a news conference in December. On Tuesday, a North Carolina man was sentenced to more than two years in prison for threatening Pelosi . Photo by Sarah Silbiger/UPI | License Photo Dec. 14 (UPI) — A man who pleaded guilty to threatening to shoot House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a day after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in prison. Cleveland Grover Meredith, Jr., 53, was sentenced to 28 months in prison after pleading guilty on Sept. 10 to interstate communication of threats. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson also ordered Meredith to serve three years of supervised release after being released from prison. Meredith arrived in Washington, D.C., from Colorado the evening of Jan. 6 after the riots had ended, according to the U.S. Justice Department. He planned to arrive on Jan. 5 to attend various rallies but was delayed, court documents state. While in his hotel in Washington, D.C., he sent a text to a relative that included a threat directed at Pelosi. Meredith, of Hayesville, N.C., said in the text he was thinking of heading over to Pelosi’s speech and “and putting a bullet in her noggin on live TV,” according to court documents. The message included a purple devil emoji. The relative contacted Meredith’s mother who alerted the FBI. FBI agents arrested Meredith at a hotel about a mile from the U.S. Capitol. He allowed agents to search his phone, truck and trailer. Agents found a Glock 9 mm pistol, a Tavor X95 military-style rifle with a telescopic sight, about 2,500 rounds of ammunition, as well as a large-capacity ammunition feeding device inside the trailer, according to court documents. In the hotel room, agents seized a box of suspected THC edibles and a vial of testosterone cypionate/propionate. After searching his phone, agents found text messages on Meredith’s phone to others where he threatened to run over Pelosi “while she chews on her gums.” “I predict that within 12 days, many in our country will die,” he later wrote in the text. Meredith was also charged with possessing an unregistered firearm in Washington, D.C. Following the Jan. 6 incident where rioters attempted to prevent the certification of the 2020 election, more than 700 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the Capitol, according to the Justice Department. Over 220 individuals have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. Federal authorities continue to investigate.