Pensacola Man Sentenced To Prison For Threatening A Federal Judge And Family Members

Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge William F. Jung today sentenced Stephen Jay Thorn (66, Pensacola) to five years in federal prison for transmitting a threat to harm a federal judge and members of the judge's immediate family. Thorn entered a guilty plea on May 16, 2024.

According to court documents, on October 24, 2022, Thorn, unhappy with a judicial opinion that he had read about online, made five interstate telephone calls to the judge's chambers and left vulgar, obscenity-laden voicemail messages threatening to harm the judge as well as members of the judge's immediate family.

"Threatening harm against public officials, or their families, is an intolerable offense," said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg. "My office takes such threats seriously and is committed to investigating and federally prosecuting anyone who threatens this sort of violence."

This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service and was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joe Wheeler III.