California man charged with threatening Fulton County DA Fani Willis over Trump prosecution
By Jason Morris, CNN
(CNN) — A California man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on charges of threatening Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis because of her prosecution of former President Donald Trump, the Justice Department said Friday in a release.
Marc Shultz, 66, of Chula Vista, California, made his initial appearance on Thursday in federal court in San Diego. He was indicted on April 24 and will be arraigned in Atlanta in June, according to the release.
According to prosecutors, Shultz allegedly posted multiple comments to two separate YouTube videos in October that threatened Willis with violence and murder, saying she “will be killed like a dog.”
“Sending death threats to a public official is a criminal offense that will not be tolerated,” US Attorney Ryan Buchanan said in a statement. “Our office will continue to diligently coordinate with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to help protect public officials while performing their duties and who deserve to do so free from threats of harm and intimidation.”
The case against Schultz was investigated by the FBI. It was not immediately clear whether he has legal representation.
“Threats of violence against government officials, specifically, threaten the very fabric of our democracy,” said Keri Farley, special agent in charge of the FBI’s field office Atlanta.
In a statement, Willis thanked Buchanan, his staff and the FBI “for believing the life of an African American elected official has value and for their diligent efforts in ensuring the safety of myself, my staff, and our families.”
Last fall, an Alabama man was also charged by a federal grand jury in Atlanta with making threatening voicemails to Fulton County officials because of their connections to the case against Trump and others over efforts to overturn the 2020 elections results in Georgia.
Willis has been dealing with ongoing threats since taking on the case. CNN previously reported she was assigned additional security protection near her Georgia residence.
The-CNN-Wire
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