New York man threatened Fox News personalities and politicians: Police

A New York City man was arrested after he made “direct and unambiguous” death threats to several political figures and Fox News personalities, police said.

Rickey Johnson, 47, also known as Nigel Dawn Defarren, was arrested Thursday night and charged with threatening interstate communications and threatening U.S. officials. Given the nature of the threats and Johnson’s criminal history, he is being held without bail.

Johnson “allegedly threatened to kill several cable news broadcasters and current and former U.S. senators and members of the House in rage-fueled posts on Instagram and in chilling private messages,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a Friday statement.

While the names of the current and former politicians were not listed in court documents, two law enforcement sources told the Associated Press that they included former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a frequent guest on Fox News shows.

“I’m going to take your life. I’m going to tell you before I do it like I’m doing right now,” he said of one broadcaster.

The threatening videos were allegedly posted between Jan. 30 and Feb. 4, just as the country was gearing up for former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Johnson, who works as a food delivery driver, took aim at Trump supporters in one video and said that they kill police officers, prosecutors alleged.

A U.S. senator and a member of the House of Representatives were also allegedly singled out during Johnson’s videos.

“Ma’am, you are dead. You will be killed. Smile. I’m going to kill you,” he told a congresswoman in one video, according to the police.

If Johnson is convicted on the charge of threatening U.S. officials, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

“Among the many great freedoms Americans enjoy is the right to engage in political discourse, and disagreements are natural and healthy. But when invective metastasizes into threats of harm or even death, law enforcement will act swiftly to bring the person responsible to justice,” Strauss said.