Rochester Man Charged with Threatening to Kill Schumer

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Rochester, NY (WBEN) Federal prosecutors say a Greece man threatened to kill Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Adam Schiff because he was dissatisfied with impeachment proceedings.

Prosecutors say Salvatore Lippa II, 57, of Greece, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with threating to assault and murder a federal official on account of the performance of their official duties, and interstate communication of a threat.

Prosecutors say Lippa was linked to two threatening voice mails, one to the Washington D.C. office of California Congressman Adam Schiff that included a death threat to the congressman. The other on February 4th when the Albany, NY, office of New York Senator Charles Schumer received a threatening voice mail that also contained a death threat to the Senator.

Federal prosecutors say the United States Capitol Police, Threat Assessment Section launched an investigation and determined the phone number on both calls was traced to Lippa.

When questioned by Special Agents from the United States Capitol Police, prosecutors say Lippa admitted to making the threatening calls to Congressman Schiff and Senator Schumer because he was upset about the impeachment proceedings.

“The rights secured in our Constitution carry with them certain responsibilities,” stated U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “When it comes to the First Amendment, that responsibility includes the obligation not to threaten to kill others. This Office will remain vigilant in our effort to uphold the rule of law and to reinforce the ideal that in America the entire concept of self-governance is fundamentally predicated on the responsibility that each of us has to control and govern our own behaviors.”

The charges carry a prison sentence of up to ten years and/or a $250,000 fine.