MIAMI An Illinois man was arrested on federal charges that he threatened a federal judge in St. Lucie County, part of the Southern District of Florida.
The hearing took place Wednesday in Miami before Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres.
Eric James Rennert, 55, of Champaign, was ordered held in federal custody after being transported from Illinois.
He was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 25.
According to the allegations in the six indictments, on May 25, 28, and July 24, Rennert made threats to injure and kidnap a U.S. judge and the federal judge’s family with the “intent to obstruct justice, intimidate, and disrupt. judge while engaged in the discharge of official duties.”
If convicted of interstate transmission of threats, Rennert faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each of the three charges.
If convicted of threatening to assault, kidnap and kill a U.S. judge, Rennert faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the three charges.
The complaint does not mention the name of the threatened judge.
The Alto Lee Adams Sr. Courthouse in Fort Pierces consists of a district judge, Aileen Cannon, and a magistrate, Judge Shaniek Mills Maynard, whose primary role is to issue arrest warrants and oversee initial appearances and charges.
Cannon, who presided over the criminal case accusing former President Donald Trump of illegally withholding classified documents, is based in that county along with another federal magistrate judge.
She is also presiding over the criminal case against Ryan Wesley Routh, who was accused of attempted murder Trump at his golf course near West Palm Beach in July. 13. This week she refused to apologize, saying a defense request to do so was unfounded.
The threats occurred during developments involving Cannon.
Investigators say Rennert made an initial threat on May 25, two days after a conversation between Cannon and a prosecutor in court about the documents case. The second came three days later, the same day Cannon rejected a request from prosecutors to ban Trump from commenting on FBI agents’ seizure of data at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach residence.
The latest threat on July 24 came nine days after Cannon dismissed the charges against Trump. Special Prosecutor Jack Smith is appealing the case.
Cannon was appointed to the bench at the end of Trump’s term in 2020.
FBI Miami investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena Smukler is prosecuting the case, according to a Department of Justice news release Friday.
