A Miami man's decades-long harassment campaign targeting the judiciary and federal officials has earned him a 20-year extension to his prison stay. Michael Dean Drew, 51, was sentenced in Miami federal court after he pleaded guilty to five counts of mailing threatening communications. Drew, who has been sentenced five previous times for similar offenses, will serve his new term consecutive to his current sentence, according to a Department of Justice press release.
The conviction follows a series of threatening letters Drew sent from his state prison cell, including one where he described violent deaths for federal judges and prosecutors. In May 2023, he threatened a federal judge in the Southern District of Florida, and in subsequent months he targeted other federal judges, U.S. Marshals, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Virginia and Georgia. One letter addressed to the judicial officers, he claimed to have the support of gang members and the Aryan Nation to execute his violent plans.
Drew's actions prompted strong reactions from federal law enforcement officials. "The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not tolerate heinous threats of violence that target prosecutors, the judiciary, and our partners in law enforcement," U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida said in the Department of Justice's statement. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland also emphasized the severity of such threats to public servants, underscoring a zero-tolerance policy.
Investigations by the FBI Miami and the U.S. Marshals Service Miami led to Drew's recent sentence. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Funk and Zachary A. Keller, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily R. Stone handling asset forfeiture. In a statement, Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, highlighted the importance of ensuring that those who administer justice do so unburdened by intimidation or threats. "The FBI will relentlessly investigate and bring to justice those individuals who attempt to tip the scales of justice through fear and threats," Veltri said to Department of Justice.
Further details about the case and related court documents can be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida or the PACER system under case number 24-CR-20039. Drew's history of threats and the federal response underscore the justice system's commitment to protect its members and uphold the rule of law in the face of such challenges.
