The man authorities say was behind a voicemail threatening to put a gun to Sen. Cory Booker‘s (D-New Jersey) face has been arrested, local station WOOD-TV reported.
Rick Lynn Simmons, a resident of Grand Rapids, Mich., was indicted Jan. 9 on charges of interstate communication with threat to injure after authorities said he called Booker’s New Jersey office in October and left a racist, profanity-laced voicemail message.
According to transcripts included in the indictment, Simmons made at least three references to putting a gun to the Black Democrat’s face. MLive reported that the indictment, filed in U.S. District Court, was unsealed Monday after the FBI arrested Simmons in Kentwood, a 15-minute drive from Grand Rapids.
“Come on, you bring it on buddy,” the message said in part. “Just me and my wife and we got guns a blazin’. You wanna come in here? … I got a nine millimeter I’ll put in your f—–’ face, you m———–. You wanna, you wanna challenge me?”
At one point, officials said Simmons also used the N-word.
If convicted, Simmons faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine
Booker is thought to be exploring the possibility of running for president in the 2020 election.
