(NewsNation) — A New Hampshire man was indicted for threatening to kill three presidential candidates, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Tyler Anderson, 30, was charged with three counts of transmitting in interstate commerce a threat to injure the person of another.
The Department of Justice did not name the three people who received threats. However, Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign previously confirmed to NewsNation that he was one of them.
“We are grateful to law enforcement for their swiftness and professionalism in handling this matter and pray for the safety of all Americans,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a senior adviser for Ramaswamy’s campaign.
Charging documents say that Anderson sent a series of threatening text messages to three presidential campaigns, with these communications going back to November.
According to the Department of Justice, Anderson threatened to impale and disembowel one candidate on Nov. 22. Then, on Dec. 6, he told another candidate he would "blow" their head off and conduct a "mass shooting." A different candidate received a message stating that Anderson would blow their brains out and "kill everyone" at a then-upcoming campaign event, the DOJ said.
Anderson, from Dover, was arrested Dec. 9 and released under certain conditions Dec. 14.
He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, with up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge.
“We have seen an increase in threats of violence against public officials and those seeking public office across the country, and I have made clear that these types of illegal threats undermine the function of our democracy,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a news release. “We will not tolerate illegal threats of violence directed at public officials or those seeking public office.”
The FBI led the investigation into Anderson with help from the Dover and Portsmouth Police Departments.