Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Just in from the Department of Justice:
A California man was arrested today and charged with making violent threats against Boston Globe employees in retaliation for the newspaper’s editorial response to political attacks on the media. Robert D. Chain, 68, of Encino, California, is charged with one count of making threatening communications in interstate commerce. Chain will appear in federal court in Los Angeles this afternoon and be transferred to Boston at a later date.
On Aug. 10, 2018, the Boston Globe announced that it was requesting that other newspaper publications around the country publish a coordinated editorial response to political attacks on the media. The coordinated editorial response was to be published on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018.
According to court documents, immediately following the announcement, Chain began making threatening calls to the Boston Globe’s newsroom. In the calls, Chain referred to the Globe as “the enemy of the people” and threatened to kill newspaper employees. In total, it is alleged that Chain made approximately 14 threatening phone calls to the Globe between August 10 and 22, 2018.
It is further alleged that on Aug. 16, 2018, the day the coordinated editorial response was published in the Boston Globe, Chain called the Globe newsroom and threatened to shoot Globe employees in the head “later today, at 4 o’clock.” As a result of that call, local law enforcement responded to the Globe’s offices and maintained a presence outside the building to ensure the safety of the employees.
The charge of making threatening communications in interstate commerce provides for a sentence of no greater than five years, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
NBC News: According to the criminal complaint Chain threatened to travel to The Boston Globe and kill newspaper employees.
Here’s what the FBI says is a transcript of one of his recorded calls: pic.twitter.com/XDNu2rDTSE
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) August 30, 2018
“You going to trace my call?” – man whose call was traced
— David Potts (@dpottzzz) August 30, 2018