A Montgomery County man was sentenced to more than three years in prison after shooting into the County Democratic Party headquarters.
Anthony Francis Nero, 48, of Norristown, Pa., has been sentenced to three years and one month in prison followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Karen S. Marston, according to a May 12 Department of Justice news release. This is for direct communication threats and cyberbullying, which are linked to a shooting at the Montgomery County Democratic Party headquarters offices last year.
"In the midst of a politically tumultuous time in our nation, Anthony Nero sent a threatening communication and then followed up on his threats with a violent act that could have resulted in catastrophic injury, or worse," U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said in the release. "I want to thank our partners in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and all agencies at the federal, state and local levels for their dedicated work on this case."
In January 2022, the defendant reportedly pleaded guilty to the charges and admitted he sent an electronic message over the Internet in January 2021 to the Montgomery County Democratic Party threatening "random acts of violence" and declared "you should probably beef up security," according to the release. Later that month, MCDP employees were surprised to see the front window of the MCDP office had been broken by a gunshot.
“I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts in prosecuting this defendant for terroristic threats against the Montgomery County Democratic Committee," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said, according to the release. "There is no place for this kind of criminal behavior in our democracy, and our law enforcement will continue to stand together to make sure that those who act in this way are brought to justice.’’
“Anthony Nero first used words as his weapon, sending threatening messages to frighten people whose views he didn’t agree with," Jacqueline Maguire, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia division, said in the release. "He then escalated exponentially when he loaded his gun, drove to the MCDP office and fired off those rounds. No one should have to fear becoming the victim of physical violence at the hands of an angry stranger. That’s why sending threatening communications is a crime, and why the FBI and our partners take threats so seriously as we work to protect and serve everyone in our communities.”
