- An Arizona man was convicted after he sent multiple threatening voicemails to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
- Steven Arthur Martis, 77, was found guilty of one count of “communicating an interstate threat to kill or harm,” according to the justice department.
- Martis left a message for Speaker Pelosi, saying “I’m coming to kill you.”
An Arizona man was found guilty after he sent a threatening voicemail to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Steven Arthur Martis, a 77-year-old from Bullhead City, Arizona, left multiple threatening voicemails for the House Speaker, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
“In his first voicemail, Martis threatened, ‘I’m coming to kill you . . . .’ Martis followed up with a second voicemail, in which he advised, ‘You’re dead . . . .'” the statement said.
Speaker Pelosi’s office did not immediately return Insider’s request for comment.
Martis left both voicemails on January 17, 2021, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation had “approached him and warned him about making similar calls in the past,” according to the statement.
“This case is an important reminder that, although the First Amendment protects our right to free speech, which is one of our most precious individual rights, the United States Attorney’s Office takes threats to kill or harm another individual through a phone call or other form of interstate communication very seriously,” acting United States Attorney Glenn McCormick said in the statement.
Martis’s attorney, David Eisenberg, did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Martis is due for sentencing on January 25, 2022.
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