Pittsburgh Man Named in PFA Indicted for Threats Made via Text and Phone Calls

PITTSBURGH – A resident of Allegheny County has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of transmitting threats in interstate commerce, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The three-count Indictment, returned on June 9, named William Jackson, age 48, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.

According to the Indictment presented to the court, on August 2, 2019, Jackson sent a text message to an individual threatening to harm that individual; made a telephone call to the individual stating that he intended to kill one of the individual’s children; and made a telephone call to the individual stating that he intended to injure the individual’s parents. According to state court records, the target of Jackson’s threats had an active Protection from Abuse order against the defendant.

"One of my highest priorities is the investigation and prosecution of federal crimes related to domestic violence, including firearms violence and cyberstalking," said U.S. Attorney Brady, who has been a member of Attorney General William Barr’s Domestic Violence Working Group since June of 2019. "Abusers beware: I will use the tools of federal prosecution to stop and prevent domestic violence and to keep victims safe from abuse. I also want to thank the Bridgeville Police Department for actively pursuing this defendant’s conduct and bringing this case to our attention."

The law provides for a total sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a $750,000 fine, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

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.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.