Texas man who threatened to kill U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters sentenced to 33 months in prison
The Texas man who was indicted last year and accused of threatening to kill Rep.
The Texas man who was indicted last year and accused of threatening to kill Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., in a series of phone calls has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison, federal officials announced Monday.
Brian Michael Gaherty, 61, of Houston, was sentenced Monday and fined $10,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
The office also noted that U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner found Gaherty specifically targeted Waters, who is Black, because of her race and therefore added a hate-crime enhancement to his sentence.
Joseph Vinas, a lawyer representing Gaherty, said in a comment to NBC News that his client was "very apologetic for what occurred," adding that it is his "sincerest belief that, but for the mental health condition he currently suffers as a result of being a victim of violent crime himself, this never would have occurred."
Gaherty offered Waters, who was in court for the sentencing Monday, "a heartfelt plea for her forgiveness and apologized to her and all those who were affected by his comments," Vinas said.
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