With a guilty plea, man expresses remorse for death threat against Maxine Waters
A man who in a racist tirade threatened to kill Rep. Maxine Waters, spurred by her criticisms of President Trump, pleaded guilty Monday to a felony charge of threatening a U.S. official.
Standing before U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson in a downtown courtroom, Anthony Scott Lloyd admitted the charge. The 45-year-old San Pedro man is scheduled to be sentenced in July, when he will face up to 10 years in prison. He is likely to receive a far lighter punishment, however.
In pleading guilty, Lloyd acknowledged calling Waters’ Washington office on Oct. 22 and leaving a voicemail in which he repeatedly threatened to kill the Los Angeles congresswoman, called her by a racial slur and made a homophobic remark.
Lloyd told authorities he made the call after becoming angered while listening to a report on talk radio that criticized Waters, a Democrat, for making critical comments about Trump, an arrest affidavit showed.
“Bitch, if you do it again, you’re dead,” Lloyd said in the call, according to court records.
Through his attorney, Lloyd was apologetic, saying the spur-of-the-moment call came amid a difficult time in his life and that he never had any intent to harm Waters.
“Mr. Lloyd is mortified by his conduct, which had nothing to do with Congresswoman Waters and everything to do with the circumstances of his own life at the time of the incident. With this guilty plea, he offers an unequivocal apology,” attorney Jerod Gunsberg said in a written statement.
For more news on federal courts in Southern California, follow me on Twitter: @joelrubin
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
