April 8, 2015

Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Threatening to Kill Two Federal Judges in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, NV—A Las Vegas man who told federal homeland security officials on June 3, 2014, that he had placed explosives under the desks of two federal district court judges in Las Vegas and planned to blow them up, has been sentenced to 75 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden for the District of Nevada.

Clifford James Schuett, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey on April 7, 2015. Schuett pleaded guilty in December 2014 to one count of threatening to kill or cause damage by explosive.

“We take all threats to federal officials and federal buildings very seriously,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “Fortunately, no was injured as a result of the threats in this case, and the perpetrator has been convicted and sentenced and is in federal custody for a lengthy period of time.”

According to the plea agreement, on June 3, 2014, Schuett entered a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Las Vegas and stated that he had placed explosives in the courtrooms and under the desks of two U.S. District Judges in the Lloyd George Federal Courthouse with the intent to kill them. Law enforcement agents detained Schuett, and notified federal courthouse security of the threat. The courthouse was searched and cleared of any threats, and no explosives were located. Schuett told the agents that he wanted to blow up one of the judges because the judge had sent him to prison, and wanted to blow up the other judge because the judge had turned down his court case. Schuett also said that if he were released from custody, he would shoot a federal judge and would first go after the judge who had sent him to prison. Schuett was previously convicted in March 2010 of threatening to blow up Nellis Air Force Base, and sentenced to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release. When Schuett was released from prison on that conviction, he failed to report to his probation officer and was sentenced in June 2013 to one additional year in prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI, ICE, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip N. Smith, Jr.