The guy from Texas who was charged last year with making death threats against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) over the phone has been given 33 months in federal prison, the government said Monday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said that Brian Michael Gaherty, 61, of Houston, was given his term and a $10,000 fine on Monday.
The office also said that U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner found Gaherty especially targeted Waters, who is Black, because of her race. Because of this, Gaherty was given a harder sentence for hate crimes.
His lawyer, Joseph Vinas, told NBC News that Gaherty was “very sorry for what happened” and that he truly believes that this would not have happened if his client did not have the mental health condition he currently has because he has been a victim of violent crime himself.
Gaherty told Waters, who was in court on Monday for the sentencing, “he deeply asked her to forgive him and apologized to her and everyone else who was hurt by his comments,” Vinas said.
The U.S. attorney’s office said Gaherty pleaded guilty in January to a count of making threats against a citizen of the United States. Gaherty admitted in his plea deal that he had threatened to kill and hurt Waters four times between August and November 2022.
As stated by federal officials, “Gaherty made these threats with the intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with Waters while she was engaged in the performance of her official duties.”
Officials say that Gaherty left voicemails on Waters’ district office phone in Los Angeles County four times over the phone. In all four voicemails, Gaherty made a dangerous threat and used bad language, including slurs and threats against women.
Officials say Gaherty told Waters he would “put a cap” between her eyes, “cut her throat,” and “stomp” her in August 2022.
In October 2022, the police called Gaherty and told him to leave Waters alone. He kept leaving threatening texts on her office phone after a few weeks, though.
Gaherty left Waters two more voicemails in November 2022. In them, he told her that she had “done [expletive] up” because she had told police about his earlier threats and that “this ain’t no threat.” It’s a promise, according to the government.
During those calls, he allegedly told Waters, “you better watch your back,” and said he would meet her “on the street” and “get in her face.” Gaherty also told Waters over and over that he had a “crowd” nearby that could hurt her.
Four counts of making threats in interstate contacts and four counts of threatening a U.S. official were added to Gaherty’s eight-count indictment in August 2023.
Source: NBC News
