On July 31, 2025, Nathanael Michael West, aged 28, received an eight-year federal prison sentence for threatening violence against a federal judge and a federal prosecutor. This hefty sentence follows West's previous convictions for sending threatening communications to state prosecutors and for a state burglary charge.
As reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, West's latest conviction was tied to two harrowing letters he sent in early 2023. The first was directed to Assistant U.S. Attorney David Robins, who had previously prosecuted West, in which he graphically detailed his plans to "assault, kidnap, torture, mutilate, and murder" Robins. In a similar vein, West sent a second letter to Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye with threats to assault and murder him. These actions were to significantly raise the stakes on West's criminal record.
A federal grand jury in Idaho indicted West on August 14, 2024, with four counts that included "mailing threatening communications" and "threatening to assault, kidnap, or murder a federal law enforcement officer with the intent to retaliate." West eventually pleaded guilty to all charges. "The 96-month sentence in this case is appropriate and justified, reflecting the seriousness, brazen, and violent nature of the defendant’s persistent threats," U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford said in a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. Bradford emphasized the impact of West's threats not only on the individuals targeted but also as an "assault on the integrity of the criminal justice system."
The District of Idaho's U.S. Attorney’s Office recused themselves from the case, leading Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas H. Edmonds from the District of Oregon to take up the role of Special Attorney to the U.S. Attorney General for prosecution. In the aftermath of the trial, Bradford commended the FBI's efforts in conducting the thorough investigation that culminated in West's sentencing.
