Baltimore, MD - A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Sidhartha Kumar Mathur, age 34, of West Friendship, Maryland, for making threats against a member of Congress from Maryland. The complaint was filed on Dec. 21, 2020, and unsealed today upon Mathur’s arrest.
The federal charges were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Chief Steven A. Sund of the U.S. Capitol Police
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, on Dec. 10, 2020, a threatening voicemail message was left at the Maryland District Office of a member of the House of Representatives stating “I am going to kill you if you mess with my vote…" and similar threatening statements. The investigation revealed that the call came from a cellular telephone number used by Mathur and the account’s billing address was Mather’s residence in West Friendship, in the name of a relative.
On the same date, a message was submitted through the Representative’s website conveying similar threatening statements. The threatening message provided the contact information, including the name and address, of Person A, a neighbor and former classmate of Mathur’s. As detailed in the affidavit, investigators learned that the e-mail account provided along with the message was connected to Mather and the IP address from which the threats were submitted was associated with an account at Mathur’s residence belonging to Mathur’s relative.
Law enforcement executed search warrants today at Mathur’s residence and also seized Mathur’s phone, computer, and other electronic media.
If convicted, Mathur faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for making threats against a federal official. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. At Mathur’s initial appearance today, U.S. Magistrate Judge DiGirolamo ordered that Mathur be released under the supervision of U.S. Pretrial Services on specific conditions, including that he not have any contact with the victim.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the U.S. Capitol Police for its work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers, who is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
