An Illinois resident has been sentenced to federal prison for sending threatening messages to a U.S. District Judge in the Southern District of Florida, including threats against the judge’s family.
Eric James Rennert, 56, from Champaign, Illinois, received a 33-month sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of threatening to assault, kidnap, and murder a U.S. judge. The charges included intent to impede or retaliate against the judge’s official duties.
“Threatening a federal judge is not protest. It is a federal crime,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “When someone sends violent threats to intimidate a judge or terrorize a judge’s family, they are attacking the rule of law itself. Let this sentence send a clear message: if you threaten a judge in the Southern District of Florida, we will find you, we will charge you, and we will move your case swiftly and aggressively. Our judges will continue to do their jobs without fear, and this Office will ensure they are protected.”
Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office commented on the outcome: “Threats to kill a federal judge are an attack on our justice system and will not be tolerated. Mr. Rennert engaged in egregious criminal conduct which resulted in a thorough investigation and aggressive prosecution. Our judicial system, and the officers of the court who work within it, must be free from intimidation to ensure the impartiality of their work. The FBI will vigorously investigate these types of threats to preserve the integrity of our courts.”
Court records show that between May and July 2024, Rennert sent several emails from his personal account directly to the judge’s personal email address with escalating threats.
On May 25, 2024, he threatened that both the judge and their family would be “hunted down” and executed. On May 28, he mistakenly sent another threat intended for the judge to an unrelated professor before forwarding it correctly; this message also referenced violence toward the judge’s family.
Rennert continued his actions on June 25 with another profane email stating that regardless of future events, harm would come to the judge. He sent one final threat on July 24 with a subject line reading “your going down,” again threatening death.
The case was investigated by FBI Miami and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena Smukler-Dominguez along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wheeler III.
Further information about related court documents can be found at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20425.
