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A 74-year-old Long Island man was arrested Friday for threatening two US senators in retaliation for their support for Brett M. Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court.
The man, Ronald DeRisi, has threatened to assassinate and assassinate the unidentified senators in more than 10 voicemails left at their offices, according to a complaint filed by the US Capitol Police. United.
In the voicemail messages, Mr. DeRisi, of Smithtown, NY, made threats of injury to dissuade Senators from voting to approve Justice Kavanaugh's appointment, and then notified one, the complaint said.
A federal judge on Friday ordered the detention of DeRisi, which threatened to put the community at risk, said John Marzulli, spokesman for the US Attorney's Office in the eastern district of New York. The judge also ordered a psychological assessment.
After executing a search warrant, investigators found ammunition for a 9-millimeter rifle at Mr. DeRisi's home, Marzulli said. They found a BB gun at home, but no firearms, he said.
Peter E. Brill, DeRisi's lawyer, said his client had severe dementia, which resulted in a series of behavioral problems.
"He has reached the point where he is unable to understand the good and the bad," said Mr. Brill. "He does not fully control his faculties."
On September 27, one of the senators received the first of two voice messages threatening to shoot the officer in the head with a 9-millimeter rifle, according to the complaint. Mr. Brill stated that his client owned firearms, but that he gave them to a family member.
On October 6, the day of the Senate confirmation vote, the other senator received a voice message recalling, "Let's pray that this guy does not show up," says the complaint. Less than an hour later, the same caller left a voice message indicating what he thought was the senator's address.
The Kavanaugh nomination turned into a controversial partisan battle after several women accused her of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. He denied the allegations. During voting tensions, the Capitol police reinforced the safety of Senators, like Susan Collins of Maine, who were undecided.
According to the complaint, the Capitol Police used voice recordings and telephone records to determine whether the calls had been made by Mr. DeRisi. A spokeswoman for the Capitol Police would not comment further on the case.
Threatening to kill an American official is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.
In 2011, Mr. DeRisi was arrested after using a decorative samurai sword to cut cables in a cell tower near his home, Brill said. He was released prematurely from probation, said Brill.
Mr. DeRisi was also arrested in 2015 after allegedly threatening a lawyer with a landlord's association with whom he had a dispute, Brill said. This case did not result in prison, he noted.
After the 2015 incident, said Mr. Brill, a psychological assessment revealed that Mr. DeRisi was suffering from brain atrophy that could harm his actions.
In a statement Friday, Richard P. Donoghue, US attorney for the eastern district of New York, said law enforcement agencies would not tolerate threats of violence in an attempt to win a political conflict.
"Representative democracy can not work if elected officials are threatened with death for simply doing their job," he said.
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