A Houston man, who left a voicemail saying he wanted to cut Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ throat, has been arrested and charged for his threats against the California politician.
Authorities said the man used a T-Mobile TracFone to make calls for four consecutive months in 2022 to harass the second-most senior member of the California congressional delegation, Click 2 Houston reported. When he could not get through to an actual voice, the man left racist and violent messages on the office’s phone system.
Brian Michael Gaherty, 60, was arrested and charged with transmission of a threat to injure the person of another interstate commerce on Thursday, April 13.
An affidavit presented by U.S. Capitol police agent Michael Guest stated between the months of August and November 2022, Gaherty called the congresswoman’s California office and spoke to her staffers, hurling vile comments and threats. He also reportedly left a series of threatening messages, including multiple death threats, in August.
“Further investigation by USCP agents revealed that GAHERTY used the same phone number to leave at least four racist voicemails threatening to kill or assault Congresswoman Waters between August and November 2022, including a threat to ‘cut your black ass throat’ n—-‘ on August 8, 2022,” the USCP said in an affidavit.
In another message, FOX News reports, he said, “Hey, you Black b—-. You f— with my people man. All that racism s— b—-, you up in age, 80 years old and s—, trying to remember 1960 and all that bulls—. And causing controversy b—-. We got something for your ass now b—-, you Black motherf—–. Yeah, we coming for you bro.”
The last straw for the office was a call made on Nov. 16, 2022, at 4:37 p.m. This time when Gaherty called, according to court reports, he spoke to a staffer and said, “Tell Congresswoman Maxine Waters when I see her on the street, I’m going to bust her upside her head. F—, who this is, tell that lying b—- I’m looking for her.”
Waters’ district director in that office contacted U.S. Capitol police the next day and downloaded the reports about the harassment, including the voicemails.
Federal authorities enlisted T-Mobile to help them locate the suspect in Houston. Both parties were able to determine that the device he used to make the calls was a prepaid, no-contract mobile phone.
A month later, on Dec. 15, the FBI interviewed Gaherty at his home about the threats.
While there, the FBI observed Gaherty had a collection of cellphones that he said: “did not work.” However, he did himself in when he showed the authorities a receipt for TracFone, including a serial number, which matched one of the phones used to call Congresswoman Waters.
The Feds discovered in its probe that Gaherty “has a history of sending racist, violent threats to other congresswomen,” perpetrating the same kind of telephonic harassment to two other congresswomen.
Most recently, between September 2022 to February 2023, he reportedly left 10 voicemails to one of the congresswomen, and as with Waters, he threatened to kill her also.
The arrest comes days after a Colorado man was charged for allegedly stalking and repeatedly threatening Rep. Joe Neguse, the only Black member ever elected to Congress from the Centennial State.
Michael James Kennedy faces three charges: one felonious count of stalking; one felonious count of retaliation against an elected official and a misdemeanor count for committing a bias-motivated crime that placed the victim in fear.
Listed within the charges were 17 threatening voice messages, including one with a threat to assault the congressman with an AK-47.
Kennedy was arrested by Denver police at his home on Thursday, April 6, and offered a $50,000 bond on Tuesday, April 11.
Gaherty was also offered a bond. His bond was for $100,000.
Court documents show he paid the bond and has already been released.
