The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a federal grand jury in Scranton today charged an inmate at a state prison with mailing communications threatening to injure and kill a state court judge in Monroe County.
According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, the defendant, Devon Williams, age 24, an inmate at the State Correctional Institution in Albion, Pennsylvania, allegedly mailed a letter in January 2014 from the prison to the Monroe County Courthouse threatening to injure and kill a judge of the Court of Common Pleas.
The charge stems from an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa is prosecuting the case.
If convicted of the charge, Williams faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilty is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
