Virginia man charged with threatening to shoot Ric Grenell in the head to remain in custody pending trial

A federal judge has ordered the detention of the man charged with threatening to kill special presidential envoy Richard Grenell.

33-year-old Scott Allen Bolger is charged with transmitting threats in interstate commerce and making false statements to federal officers. He was arraigned Tuesday afternoon in federal court in Virginia. Grenell was not present at the arraignment and was identified in court filings only as a “federal employee,” though the Department of Justice later confirmed to Fox News that he was the victim. The DOJ added that holding an individual in pretrial detention is rare, describing it as a win.

According to court records, Bolger allegedly used Google Voice to send threatening messages to Grenell, including explicit threats to kill him. The service allows users to send calls and messages that are not tied directly to their primary devices. One text message allegedly from Bolger said, "Step on U Street and get a bullet put between your eyes, loyalist pig skin p*ssy." Investigators also accuse Bolger of lying to members of a federal task force who questioned him at his home, falsely identifying himself to officers. 

The DOJ released a victim impact statement from Grenell that was read aloud in court. In the statement, Grenell said, “In my current role as a presidential envoy, I have been attacked and harassed by people who don't know me and who simply want to leave nasty, rude and angry messages because I don't share their political viewpoint.”

"But today is much different," he added. "Today we are dealing with someone who went far beyond sharing his angry opinion. Today we see a man who wants to kill someone because of their political differences."

"And as we have sadly learned from my friend Charlie Kirk's death, we must take talk of violence and calls for death seriously,” Grenell said.

"This individual crossed the line from sharing his viewpoint to wanting to shoot someone in the face because he disagrees with them politically. It is very troubling," he continued, adding, "The people doing what he is doing, and there are many, must be given clear instructions from community leaders that their calls for shooting people in the head will have swift and severe consequences. Unstable people are watching what we do today."

Bolger faces up to five years in federal prison if convicted.