ORLANDO, Fla. — A threat to go "Game of Thrones" on Bernie Sanders “ISIS-style” could land a Kissimmee man in federal prison.
- Robert Francis Pratersch faces as much as 15 years behind bars
- Pratersch indicted by feds in February, sentencing set for July
- Feds say he left profanity-laced, anti-Semitic voicemails for Sanders
Robert Francis Pratersch, 57, of Kissimmee is the among the latest U.S. citizens to be prosecuted for accusations of threatening a federal official, a crime that continues to be a problem for federal prosecutors and the families of the alleged victims. Some say social media has worsened the problem.
In this case, the suspect used a phone.
Pratersch threatened to behead U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, (I-VT) and videotape the execution, according to the top prosecutor for the U.S. Middle District of Florida.
Pratersch was indicted February 13.
A federal jury in Orlando on April 30 found Pratersch guilty of threatening a federal official and interstate transmission of a threat to injure, said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez, a President Donald Trump appointee.
In a 2000 Congressional hearing, the FBI said it initiated 4,234 threats or assaults of federal officers and employees from 1994 and 2000.
“On average, the FBI investigates 650 violations per year regarding the threats. The majority of the threats that are investigated involve law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges.”
The FBI has investigated 916 cases since 1994 in which a Congress member was threatened or assaulted.
Federal court records provided transcripts of Pratersch’s messages, though almost everything he said was too profane and anti-Semitic to reprint.
“You’re dead,” Pratersch said, according to federal records.
Law enforcement officials interviewed Pratersch at his residence on October 24, 2018.
“During the interview, the Defendant stated that he 'maybe' made the threatening calls to Senator Sanders’ office,” records show. “When shown the transcript of the calls, the Defendant stated that he 'probably' made the calls, but was probably very drunk and did not remember. Defendant stated that when he drank a lot, he would go on rants.”
Pratersch said he often gets upset about the direction of the country, “particularly the 'communists' trying to change our way of life.”
Pratersch’s attorney asked for the judge to take into account his intoxication when presiding over the case.
U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza said no.
“In light of the foregoing, the United States moves the Court to preclude the Defendant from introducing evidence or argument that the Defendant lacked the requisite state of mind in the charged offense due to his voluntary intoxication,” the judge wrote.
Mendoza is scheduled to sentence Pratersch on July 16 in Orlando.
The FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincent S. Chiu is prosecuting.