A federal grand jury in Columbia has indicted Eric Anthony Rome Jr., a 37-year-old inmate at the South Carolina Department of Corrections, on two counts related to sending threats. According to the indictment presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rome is accused of mailing a letter in January to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews in Chicago, Illinois. The letter reportedly contained threats and derogatory language targeting the Jewish community and ended with the statement: “Enjoy having Trump in office while you can because we are going to kill him too.” Rome signed his full name to the correspondence.
Rome faces up to 10 years in federal prison, a fine that could reach $250,000, and restitution if convicted. He is currently serving a state sentence for armed robbery and has two prior federal convictions for threatening the president of the United States. After completing his state sentence in 2030, he is scheduled to begin serving a five-year federal sentence related to similar previous offenses.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. State Department, and South Carolina Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston D. Holliday Jr. is handling prosecution.
“All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
