Pittsburgh Man Admits Threatening a Former Girlfriend who had a PFA Order Against Him

PITTSBURGH – An inmate of Allegheny County Jail has pled guilty to a charge of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.

William Jackson, age 49, formerly of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pled guilty in front of Senior District Judge Nora Barry Fischer on January 24, 2022.

According to the information presented to the court, on August 2, 2019, Jackson made a telephone call to a former girlfriend who had a Protection from Abuse Order against him protecting herself and her children and stated on the call that he intended to kill one of her children. Jackson also accepted responsibility for two other threats—made to the victim and her parents—that same night.

Jacksons faces up to five years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000, and a term of supervised release of not more than three years. Sentencing is scheduled for May 5, 2022.

Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Vasquez Schmitt is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bridgeville Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.

This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.