Lakewood : Charge Dropped in Alleged Threat to Harm Rep. Horn

A federal judge has dismissed charges against a man accused of threatening to assault freshman Rep. Steve Horn (R-Long Beach).

Mark Raymond Engberg was released Oct. 29 from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles after a two-day trial.

Engberg, 31, visited Horn’s Lakewood field office earlier this year to ask for help clearing his criminal record, federal court documents show. He allegedly shouted at Horn’s staff during several visits.

On one occasion, Engberg allegedly left a message on the office answering machine saying: “You guys (expletive) me over. I want to burn your (expletive) place down. You guys better not go to work on Monday because I’m going to burn it down.”

Engberg was charged under a federal law that makes it a felony to threaten federal officials, including members of Congress. U.S. District Court Judge J. Spencer Letts found the message did not constitute a threat against Horn, so the case was dismissed before going to the jury, said David R. Fields, the federal prosecutor who handled the case.

Engberg said the judge made the correct decision. “I never had any kind of conversation with Congressman Horn whatsoever,” he said.

Since his release, Engberg has not contacted Horn’s office, said Connie Sziebl, district director at the Lakewood office.

Engberg has had scrapes with the law in the past, including convictions for misdemeanor firearms charges and felony assault with a deadly weapon, records show.