California Man Receives Prison Sentence for Threatening Pelosi and Mayorkas

David Allen Carrier, 44, of Concord, California, has been sentenced to 11 months in prison for leaving threatening voicemails aimed at former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Axios reported.

Carrier’s actions were deemed direct threats against federal officials and interference with their official duties, resulting in his guilty plea to two counts of making threats.

Carrier’s menacing voicemail to Pelosi on Jan. 21, 2021, included explicit language and a threat of physical assault. Similarly, on June 30, 2022, he left a voicemail at the Department of Homeland Security hotline, threatening violence against Mayorkas and immigrants he labeled as “illegal.” These actions led to his acknowledgment of intending to obstruct Pelosi’s duties as a member of Congress.

The sentencing, announced by the Department of Justice, included 11 months in prison for Carrier, along with a three-year supervised release period during which he must undergo mental health and substance abuse treatment. U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey emphasized that while public participation in political discourse is a fundamental right, threats against public servants undermine the democratic process.

Meanwhile, the DOJ disclosed ongoing investigations into numerous reports of threats against election workers. Axios reported that the 2020 and 2022 elections saw an alarming surge in such incidents, particularly in swing states like Arizona, Axios reported.

The DOJ’s Election Threats Task Force, led by John Dixon Keller, highlighted the concerning trend of election officials becoming targets of violence and intimidation at a press conference Monday.

Keller’s remarks come in the wake of the sentencing of Joshua Russell, an Ohio man, to 2.5 years in prison for threatening to kill Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs when she served as the state’s secretary of state in 2022.

Keller stressed that while prosecution is essential, addressing the underlying normalization of threats and attacks against government officials requires broader societal action.

The DOJ’s efforts aim to address the escalating threats against election workers, which Attorney General Merrick Garland responded to by forming the Election Threats Task Force in 2021. Keller emphasized distinguishing between legitimate political discourse and criminal threats, noting that normalizing such hostility poses a significant threat to the integrity of elections and democratic institutions.

“Death threats are not debate,” Keller said. “Death threats are not a protected constitutional right.”