A state prisoner in Florida has been indicted for threatening to kill a federal judge.
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging 38-year-old Marcus Pratt, of Crestview, with three counts of mailing threatening communications and three counts of influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal judge. Pratt faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies Pratt that the United States intends to forfeit any assets alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the charged offenses.
According to the indictment, Pratt sent a handwritten letter through the U.S. Postal Service dated August 2, 2023, addressed to the federal courthouse in Miami, threatening that his associates would kill a certain United States District Judge. Pratt sent another hand-written letter dated September 23, 2023, threatening that Pratt’s associates were going to kill the judge and whoever was at his house when they got there.
Finally, Pratt sent a handwritten letter dated October 10, 2023, telling the judge that the defendant’s associates would kill him very soon. All letters were signed by Pratt and threatened to kill the judge due to the performance of his official duties and with the intent to retaliate against the judge on the account of the performance of his official duties.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshal Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Lasry and Kirwinn Mike.
