A Las Vegas resident has been handed a prison sentence of almost four years following threats made to a then-member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Anthony Lewis Hamelin, 52, who also goes by "Tony Hamelin," directed his animus at a member of Congress, leaving a threatening voicemail and sending text messages aimed at one family member in particular, as mentioned by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Per details released by the U.S. Attorney's Office, on the night of June 1 and into early June 2, 2023, Hamelin threatened to kill the son of a U.S. House representative. The voicemail he left for the spouse of the representative sent a clear message of his intentions. Hamelin expressed his ire towards the representative's fulfillment of their official duties through texts.
Law enforcement did not delay. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, together with U.S. Capitol Police agents, acted swiftly and apprehended Hamelin on June 2, 2023. Forward to March 11, and Hamelin's day in court arrives. He pleaded guilty to one count of influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official by threatening a family member, along with a count of transmitting a threat to injure through communication.
U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro sentenced Hamelin to 46 months in prison, which will be succeeded by three years of supervised release. This sentence marks the end of a legal process stewarded by United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the U.S. Capitol Police. The case was investigated with the joint efforts of the aforementioned law enforcement agencies and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Operskalski.
Threats against public officials and their families are taken seriously, and this case serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences for such actions. The legal system, in its role to protect civil servants and uphold justice, has demonstrated its resolve to address and punish all manifestations of threats and violence.
