A 43-year-old man from Fernandina, Florida, named Neal Brij Sidhwaney, has entered a guilty plea in connection with making threats to murder a Supreme Court Justice.
The incident occurred on July 31 when Sidhwaney placed a call during which he left a threatening voicemail message for a member of the high court, as per a statement from the Justice Department. While the release did not disclose the specific justice targeted, court documents obtained by CNN revealed that Chief Justice John Roberts was the subject of the threat.
In the voicemail, Sidhwaney used explicit language and warned Roberts against informing deputy U.S. Marshals about the call, stating that he would speak with law enforcement agents and then “come kill you anyway,” as reported by NBC News.
Following the threatening call, Sidhwaney’s repeated identification of himself by name in the profanity-laden message led to his arrest in August.
A few weeks later, U.S. Magistrate Judge Monte Richardson ordered a competency hearing for Sidhwaney. Although he initially denied having mental health issues, the examination revealed delusional thought processes.
Despite the mental health concerns, Sidhwaney was deemed to meet the minimum standards required to stand trial. He pleaded guilty on Friday to transmitting an interstate threat to kill and faces a potential sentence of up to five years in prison. The sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
