A man found guilty of threatening to “behead” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) “ISIS style” was sentenced to 15 months in prison on Friday.
Robert Francis Pratersch, 58, was arrested in February for allegedly leaving three threatening voicemails with the senator’s Burlington, Vermont office.
Transcripts of the three voicemails, recorded between 4:43 p.m. and 5:13 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2018, were presented at trial.
“Bernie, you Jew bastard, you had your chance now we’re going to behead you ISIS style video taped for the world to see,” Pratersch said in his first voicemail left with Sanders’ office. “[Inaudible] fucking hoes you got working for you. What do you got them sucking your cock too you freak bastard?”
He said in another voicemail, 29 minutes later: “Bernie you fucking Jew bastard. How’s that knife going to feel cutting your head off boy? You Jew fucking cocksucker.”
Pratersch’s third voicemail came just a minute later: “You pussy ass fucking Bernie Sanders cocksucker. Leave your name and address we’ll get back to you, you motherfucker. Listen you Jew fucking cocksucker, you’re dead. You’re fucking dead.”
The messages were traced by law enforcement to Pratersch’s cell phone. Per court records presented by prosecutors, Pratersch voluntarily agreed to speak to law enforcement at his residence in October.
He said he “probably” made the calls but did not remember, adding that, in prosecutors’ words, “he would watch the news and get mad about the way the country was going, particularly the ‘communists’ trying to change our way of life.”
Pratersch was charged with one count each of threatening a federal official and making an interstate threat to injure. He pleaded not guilty to both counts — and a jury found him guilty of both on April 30.
The Justice Department noted after his conviction that Pratersch faced a potential 15 years in federal prison for his crimes.
