Florida man charged with threatening member of Congress
ORLANDO, Fla. - A Florida man has been charged with sending death threats to a member of Congress, federal prosecutors said.
James Lapin, 34, was arrested Thursday in Ormond Beach, according to court records. The city is located just north of Daytona Beach.
A federal grand jury in Orlando handed down an indictment a day earlier on charges of threatening to assault and murder an elected member of the United States House of Representatives and making a threat through interstate communications. If convicted, Lapin faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
The indictment didn’t name the member of Congress who Lapin is accused of threatening.
Lapin sent the threat to the elected official’s Washington D.C. office last December, according to the indictment. The message specifically indicated that the member of Congress needed to wear a bullet-proof vest and that the elected official would be dead.
When contacted by The Associated Press, Lapin’s attorney declined to comment on the case.