Net neutrality backer threatened FCC chief's children, authorities say
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Markara Man, 33, (not pictured) was arrested for threatening the children of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai (pictured above), authorities said. (Associated Press)
A Southern California man who was reportedly angry about the repeal of net neutrality regulations was arrested in Los Angeles on Friday after making a threat against the children of Federal Communication Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as Markara Man, 33, admitted to sending three threatening emails to Pai in December 2017 to “scare” the chairman because of his role in repealing the Obama-era rules, the Department of Justice said in a news release.
"I will find your children and I will kill them," Man wrote in one of the emails, according to court documents. The email also listed the names and addresses of several preschools in the area, though Pai’s children did not attend any of them, officials said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I will find your children and I will kill them."
In another message, Man accused Pai of being responsible for a child’s suicide. A third message contained a photo of the chairman and a framed photo with his family, officials said.
Federal agents traced the emails to Man’s home in Norwalk, near Los Angeles, and questioned him in May. He confessed to sending the emails under the handle "StubbleManliness@gmail.com" because it sounded "tougher," Politico reported, citing court documents.
Officials instructed Man to write an apology that was sent to Pai.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I'm sorry I made a threat against your kids. That was crossing the line," he wrote in his message, authorities said.
"I'm sorry I made a threat against your kids. That was crossing the line."
Man was charged in federal court in Virginia with threatening to murder a U.S. official’s immediate family member with the intent to intimidate or interfere with the official's duties. The charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Pai and his family were victims of harassment last year when protesters stood outside their home and put up signs with his children’s names on them that read: “They will come to know the truth. Dad murdered Democracy in cold blood,” the Hill reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The chairman was also forced to cancel a January speaking engagement at a Las Vegas tech event following reported security concerns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.