Las Vegas man sentenced to over 3 years in prison for violent antisemitic threats against US senators

John Anthony Miller, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of threatening a federal official and two counts of influencing, impeding, or retaliating against federal officials by threatening their family members. US District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey presided over the sentencing in Nevada.

According to court documents, federal prosecutors said Miller’s threats began in the immediate aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in Israel, which left more than 1,200 people dead and saw more than 250 kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists. Senator Jacky Rosen, a Jewish Democrat from Nevada, has maintained a strong pro-Israel stance, making her a particular target for Miller’s vitriol.

Between October 11 and October 25, 2023, Miller left a series of threatening voicemails for at least two US senators, including Rosen. In the messages, he referenced the Holocaust, the Israel-Hamas war, and used violently antisemitic language. In one voicemail, Miller said, “Let’s kill every last Israeli terror-f*cking-rist.” A later review of video and audio, supported by a witness statement, confirmed the statement. In the video, Miller was also spotted carrying a Palestinian flag.

The threats were described as “vile, dehumanizing, and shameful” by Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s sentence reflects the Department’s firm resolve to holding accountable those who seek to intimidate and harm our public officials. Such threats of violence have no place in our country,” Bai said in a statement.

The FBI also weighed in. Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the Counterterrorism Division noted, “It is unacceptable to threaten public officials or anyone else, and the FBI will work with our law enforcement partners to identify and hold accountable anyone who engages in such illegal activity.”

The threats escalated further when Miller physically went to the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse in Las Vegas on October 18, 2023, reportedly looking for Senator Rosen. He was denied entry after refusing to present identification. Outside the courthouse, witnesses reported that he carried a Palestinian flag and shouted threats against Israelis. He was arrested a week later and has remained in custody since.

Investigators from the FBI Las Vegas Field Office, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the US Marshals Service, and the US Capitol Police worked together to identify and arrest Miller.

Miller’s defense attorney, Jess Marchese, argued that his client was under the influence of methamphetamine and struggling with drug addiction at the time of the threats. However, Judge Dorsey ruled that the seriousness and premeditated nature of the threats merited a substantial prison sentence.

Senator Rosen’s office declined to comment directly on the sentencing but reiterated the importance of protecting elected officials from politically or religiously motivated threats.