MA Man Charged with Threatening President Obama On-Line

Tuesday, July 07, 2015

GoLocalWorcester News Team

A 28-year-old Mansfield man was charged in U.S. District Court in Boston for posting on-lline threats to President Barack Obama.

Andrew J. O’Keefe was charged on June 15, 2015, in a criminal complaint that was unsealed Monday. He appeared before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell on Monday morning.

According to court documents, on May 13, 2015, O'Keefe posted a threat on an FBI website stating that he planned on killing President Obama. Two days later, law enforcement officials showed up at O'Keefe's residence to interview him regarding the posting. O'Keefe would not comply and refused to speak with the officers. Following a search warrant executed on O'Keefe's residence, officers found more than 100 weapons. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, those weapons included swords, double-edged knives, hatchets, spears, and an air gun. Two laptop computers were also confiscated.

O'Keefe faces a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Lisa A. Quinn, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service; and Mansfield Police Chief Ronald A. Sellon, made the announcement Monday. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Ortiz’s Major Crime Unit.