Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg recently announced a significant development in a case involving threats against a federal judge. Marcus Pratt, a 38-year-old from Crestview, Florida, has been charged with serious offenses that highlight the gravity of threatening judicial officials.
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Marcus Pratt faces a grand jury indictment for a series of menacing actions aimed at a United States District Judge. The charges laid against him include three counts of mailing threatening communications and three counts of influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal judge. If convicted, Pratt could be sentenced to up to 10 years in federal prison for each count. Additionally, the indictment includes a forfeiture clause, indicating that the United States intends to seize any assets of Pratt’s that can be traced back to the proceeds of these charged offenses.
The indictment details a disturbing sequence of threats made by Pratt through the U.S. Postal Service. On August 2, 2023, he sent a handwritten letter to the federal courthouse in Miami, explicitly threatening the life of a federal judge, stating that his “associates” would execute the judge. This threat was not an isolated incident; subsequent letters dated September 23 and October 10 reiterated these menacing threats, each time alleging that Pratt’s associates were poised to kill the judge and potentially harm others present at the judge’s residence.
These letters, all signed by Pratt, were direct threats to the judge’s life due to the performance of his official duties and with the intent to retaliate against the judge on the account of the performance of his official duties. Such acts pose a severe challenge to the justice system, seeking to undermine the very foundation of law and order through intimidation and violence.
The case is the result of thorough investigations conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshal Service. It is now in the hands of Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Lasry and Kirwinn Mike, who will lead the prosecution efforts.
