A Torrington man is accused of threatening to murder U.S. Representative Adam Schiff.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 62-year-old Robert Phelps of Torrington was charged by federal criminal complaint Monday.
Prosecutors said the congressman received a threatening message through a meeting request entry form of his official website. The request included the words “…I want to kill you with my bare hands and smash your…face in,” according to court documents. It also had the preferred day of the week for the meeting request written as “Measure your Coffin day.”
Investigators said they identified Phelps as the suspect and determined he sent the threat after speaking with him at his home on December 4, 2019. He was arrested on March 13. He was later released on a $25,000 bond.
Phelps was charged with threatening to assault and murder a U.S. official, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and making interstate threats, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.
