Man Who Threatened to Kill Federal Judges and Other Public Officials Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

A man who sent letters from state prison expressing a desire to kill federal judges, U.S. Marshals, and federal prosecutors was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison.

During a hearing in Miami, on Aug. 19, Michael Dean Drew, 51, was sentenced to 240 months in prison, to run consecutive to the sentence he is currently serving. Drew had previously been sentenced, five times, for sending threatening letters to federal judges, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and federal law enforcement officers.

"The public officials who work to keep our country safe and uphold the rule of law should not have to fear for their lives or the lives of their families," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. "This sentence should make clear that the Justice Department has no tolerance for violence or threats of violence against public servants."

"The U.S. Attorney's Office will not tolerate heinous threats of violence that target prosecutors, the judiciary, and our partners in law enforcement," said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. "As evidenced in the case against Michael Dean Drew, we will continue to investigate threats against public servants and aggressively seek penalties against those who engage in such abhorrent crimes. We must protect our dedicated government employees, so that they may carry out their jobs without fear and ensure the functions of our democracy."

"Threats against officers of the court strike at the very heart of our judicial system," said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. "The dedicated agents and prosecutors who investigate and prosecute criminal activity and the judges who impartially operate our court system must be unburdened by intimidation. This is fundamental to the rule of law. The FBI will relentlessly investigate and bring to justice those individuals who attempt to tip the scales of justice through fear and threats."

"The U.S. Marshals Service is dedicated to protecting our justice system and those who serve it," said U.S. Marshal Gadyaces Serralta for the District of Southern Florida. "We will not tolerate threats against prosecutors, judges, or law enforcement. Just as we did in the case of Michael Dean Drew, we will continue to investigate and hold accountable anyone who tries to intimidate public servants. Protecting those who enforce the law is crucial to maintaining our democracy and keeping our communities safe."

According to the court record, in May 2023, Drew mailed a letter to a federal judge in the Southern District of Florida threating that the judge would die a violent death for presiding over a particular criminal case. In August 2023, Drew mailed two letters to the federal courthouse in Miami, in which he threatened another federal judge and members of the U.S. Marshal Service. In each of the letters, Drew described how he was recruiting other people to violently murder the judge and members of the U.S. Marshal Service. In September 2023, Drew mailed letters from his place of incarceration in Florida to Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Virginia and Georgia stating that he had recruited gang members and members of the Aryan Nation to carry out the violent murder of the Assistant U.S. Attorneys and their family members. In all the letters, Drew expressed his sincere intent to carry out the threats and described in detail how each of the victims would die.

In one letter, Drew said he would "take great pleasure in knowing you will suffer and die" and that the judge's body would be "discarded as a piece of trash, thrown in a ditch." In the letter addressed to the U.S. Marshals Service, Drew said he was "recruiting" as many fellow inmates as possible into the Aryan Nation gang and that "[o]ur first objective is to murder as many U.S. Marshals as possible… I and my fellow comrades have taken a blood oath to kill, harass, terrorize and destroy federal agents." In each of the letters, Drew explained how the victim's death would be in retaliation for their role in the judicial system.

On June 6, Drew pleaded guilty to five counts of mailing threatening communications.

The FBI Miami Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service Miami investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Funk, Zachary E. Keller, and Emily Rose Stone for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the case.

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