A Florida woman pled guilty in federal district court on Monday, Sept. 13 to a six-count indictment charging her threatening to kill Vice President Kamala Harris
Niviane Petit Phelps, 39, admitted during the change of plea hearing that in February she sent her husband, who was in prison, 30-second video clips in which she’s threatening to kill Harris, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A member of the Secret Service learned in March that Phelps sent the threats against Harris to her spouse at the Wakulla Correctional Institution, through an application that allows for media-sharing between incarcerated and non-incarcerated individuals.
In the videos, Phelps screamed curse words and said she’d accepted $53,000 to carry out the “hit” against Vice President Harris, and said that she would carry out the assassination within 50 days.
“Kamala Harris you are going to die. Your days are numbered already. Someone paid me $53,000 just to f–k you up and I’m gonna take the, I’m gonna a do the job, OK?” Phelps said in the video dated Feb. 13.
In a video sent the following day, Phelps said, “If I see in in the street I’m gonna kill your ass, Kamala Harris.”
In the videos, Phelps spoke to the camera about her hatred for Harris as well as President Joe Biden. Some of the videos were filmed by Phelps herself and others were recorded by her children. After sending the videos, Phelps sent an image of herself with a firearm with a target sheet riddled with bullets at a gun range. Then, two days later on Feb. 22, she applied for a concealed weapon permit.
On March 3, authorities, including federal agents and members of the Miami-Dade Police Department, went to Phelps’ Miami Gardens home to conduct an interview, but she refused to speak with them.
During a second visit days later, Phelps told authorities she knew the communications system she was using was viewable to others and that she wanted to let the justice system “know what’s going on.”
Phelps told authorities she was upset that Harris had become vice president but was “over it now.” She said she believes Harris is not actually “Black” and added that it was disrespectful that she put her hand on her clutch purse instead of a Bible at the inauguration.
When asked what would have happened if authorities had not shown up at her residence, Phelps said, “I don’t know, I don’t know.”
Phelps is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 19 and faces a possible maximum sentence of five years in prison.
