PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria man is sentenced to 42 months in federal prison after threatening a federal judge in May, 2022.
Federal prosecutors say Paul Jordan Klawer, 34, was representing himself as a party in a civil rights case pending in federal court in Peoria.
When Klawer became frustrated with the case, he wrote a series of threatening emails to the lawyer representing the opposing party.
Klawer, in those emails, threatened others including U.S. District Judge Lindsay Jenkins.
Prosecutors say Klawer wrote, “tell the judge if he doesn’t take my warnings serious, I’ll blow his (expletive) brains out in broad daylight and put on his Tombstone exactly how much he gave our future by suppressing evidence of misconduct…”
Klawer also threatened to commit violent acts including blowing up the Department of Human Services in Springfield.
“The judiciary is designed to be insulated from intimidation, harassment and fear of retribution so judges can render fair, impartial and independent decisions,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald Hanna. “We will not tolerate actors like Klawer who try to use fear and intimidation to get their way.”
The penalties for threatening a federal official are up to ten years imprisonment, followed by up to three years of supervised release.
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