Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal jury in Hartford has found PETER J. SANTOS, 41, of Manchester, guilty of one count of threatening a federal official. The trial before U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson began on May 30 and the jury returned the verdict this afternoon.
According to the evidence at trial, in January 2014, SANTOS was sentenced in the Southern District of New York to 25 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to transport stolen goods, conspiring to receive stolen goods and conspiring to commit wire fraud. On Dec. 31, 2015, after completing his period of incarceration, he began serving his three-year period of supervised release, which was transferred to the U.S. Probation Office in the District the Connecticut.
While on supervised release, SANTOS tested positive for controlled substances on multiple occasions. On Aug. 31, 2016, SANTOS appeared before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven for a supervised release violation hearing. Judge Arterton revoked SANTOS’ supervised release and imposed a penalty of six months of imprisonment to be followed by 24 months of additional supervised release. As the U.S. Marshals were walking SANTOS out of the courtroom, SANTOS looked at his supervising U.S. Probation Officer and stated “When I get out, I’m coming for you." The Probation Officer responded, “Excuse me?" SANTOS responded, “You heard me."
After they left the courtroom, a Deputy U.S. Marshal said to SANTOS, “That’s not smart." SANTOS responded by stating that he did not care and he was tired of it, adding that, “Everyone has to meet their maker whether it is by me or some other way."
The investigation revealed that SANTOS made additional threats while he was incarcerated on the supervised release violation.
Judge Thompson scheduled sentencing for Aug. 29, 2017, at which time SANTOS faces a maximum term of imprisonment of six years.
This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John H. Durham.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
