Indiana inmate sentenced to 48 months in prison for threatening federal judges while incarcerated

An inmate in an Indiana prison will serve another 48 months in prison for threatening federal judges.

Roger King, 39, of Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Sara L. Ellis after pleading guilty to two counts of mailing threatening communications, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.

King was sentenced to 48 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. This sentence will run consecutive to the state sentence King was serving at the time of the offense and is still serving today.

According to documents in the case, on November 9, 2021, while incarcerated on Indiana state charges at the New Castle Correctional Facility, King mailed a letter to the United States Supreme Court Clerk addressed to the “Republican Justices.” In the letter, King threatened to detonate a bomb at the United States Supreme Court building. King wrote that he was “very serious” and had “every intention to come to Washington to use a bomb” that would “blow up and kill all of you Republican Justices.”

Almost five months later, on April 1, 2022, while still incarcerated at the New Castle Correctional Facility, King mailed a letter to the United States District Court Clerk in the Southern District of Indiana addressed to two federal judges who were presiding over a civil case King had filed. The letter contained a harmless white powdery substance accompanied by language suggesting it was anthrax or boric acid. The letter was opened by a judicial employee, prompting an extensive law enforcement and public health response to contain the threat.

“Threats directed at members of the judiciary are not only criminal acts, but direct attacks on the rule of law,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Proctor. “No judge should ever have to fear that an adverse ruling will provoke an attack. Due to the outstanding collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement, King was brought to justice for making these serious threats. My office will continue to hold those accountable who threaten and intimidate judges and other public servants.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Supreme Court Police, with valuable assistance provided by the United States Marshals Service, the Indiana State Police, the Indiana Department of Corrections, the Marion County Public Health Department, and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas M. McGrath and Steven J. Lupa, who were appointed as Special Attorneys in the Southern District of Indiana.