Judge sentences Texas man to nearly three years in prison for death threats to Rep. Maxine Waters

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Maxine Waters tells judge of ‘nightmares’ after Texas man threatened to cut her throat​

Waters told U.S. District Court Judge Gary Klausner on Monday that her family members — several of whom were present in the Los Angeles courtroom — live “in fear every day” because of violent threats made by Brian Michael Gaherty, a Houston resident.

Gaherty, 61, pleaded guilty Jan. 29 to one count of threatening a United Sates official. In his plea agreement, he admitted to threatening to assault and murder Waters in phone calls he made in 2022, in which he used racial slurs and repeatedly referenced the congresswoman’s race.

The judge found that Gaherty targeted Waters because of her race and applied a hate-crime enhancement to the sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Gaherty was arrested in April 2023 after prosecutors filed a criminal complaint that outlined the threats to Waters and alleged Gaherty had threatened other elected officials and a news reporter in Houston. A grand jury later indicted Gaherty on federal charges.

[Prosecutor Laura] Alexander said Gaherty had also threatened a Latina congresswoman.