Brendan Hunt, pictured, has been sentenced to 19 months in prison for making online threats against elected officials (A screenshot of Brendan Hunt from his YouTube channel “xrayultra”)
Nov. 24, 2021 By Michael Dorgan
A Ridgewood man has been sentenced to 19 months in prison for making online threats to kill Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Chuck Schumer and other leading Democrats.
Brendan Hunt, 37, was sentenced at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn Monday after calling for the death and public executions of Ocasio-Cortez, Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a series of online posts and videos he made in December and January – following the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Hunt was found guilty in a jury trial in April where the court also heard evidence that he demanded his online followers take up arms and violently overthrow the federal government as he claimed the election had been “rigged.”
“Get your guns, show up to D.C., and literally just spray these m—–f—–s . . . put some bullets in their f——g heads,” he said in a video posted online on Jan. 8. “If anybody has a gun, give me it, I’ll go there myself and shoot them and kill them.”
Hunt had pleaded not guilty to the charges and his conviction carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Breon Peace, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said that such crimes would be investigated and vigorously prosecuted.
“[This] sentence sends a clear message that those who seek to harm our representatives and bring chaos to our democracy will be punished,” Peace said.
“We will not tolerate threats to members of the United States Congress or calls to overthrow our democratically elected government.”
The case was the first trial to address the consequences of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, prosecutors said, although Hunt did not attend the riot.
Hunt’s Jan. 8 video was titled “Kill Your Senators,” and was posted two days after violent rioters storming the Capitol building in Washington D.C.
In the video, Hunt encouraged viewers to storm the Capitol a second time — but with guns. He suggested killing legislators during the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
“[W]e need to go back to the U.S. Capitol when all of the Senators and a lot of the Representatives are back there, and this time we have to show up with our guns,” he said. “And we need to slaughter these m—–f—–s.”
Hunt made a series of social media posts between Dec. 6 and Jan. 8 where he labeled Ocasio-Cortez, Pelosi and Schumer as “high-value target[s],” according to the criminal complaint.
“They really need to be put down,” Hunt posted. “These commies will see death before they see us surrender.”
He also called on former President Donald Trump to hold public executions of the congress members in another post.
Hunt defended his actions during the trial by telling the jury that he didn’t think anyone would take his rants seriously and also blamed some of his rhetoric on drug use.
Prosecutors also alleged that Hunt espoused white supremacist and anti-Semitic views based on his social media accounts, as well as videos, text messages, emails, and other documents downloaded from his electronic devices.
In a statement to the court Monday, Hunt criticized prosecutors for portraying him as “some neo-Nazi white supremacist,” the New York Times reported. Hunt called it “lazy rhetoric” and said the prosecution’s case was “based on fear.”
He also apologized to his family and said he was “truly sorry” for how he expressed his anger. He is the son of a retired New York City family court judge.
“I felt, for a long time, powerless to push back on what I saw as unfairness in the way conservatives were treated,” Hunt said.
He said that his actions were “terribly misguided” and “wrong,” for which he has paid a “heavy price.”
At the time of his arrest in January, Hunt was a full-time employee of the New York State Office of Court Administration where he worked as an assistant court analyst in the state’s Attorney Registration Unit.
He was also a part-time actor and filmmaker, according to court documents.
It was also revealed that Hunt had shared a cell with disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn for a few weeks over the summer.
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18 Comments
OMG! He met R. Kelly!
OMG, will you please stop posting under my post name?
Stop stealing my name and get your own.
I don’t know what’s more ridiculous. His sentence or the deluded comments from these anti white posters. The guy was drunk & stoned when he wrote those things.
If only he had gone on a hate spewed rant about killing white men or how terrible Trump is, the was, there would be so much understanding and forgiveness for him. Why there would be a book deal f
and he’d be the darling of the talk show circuit.
As for the poster who’s worried about civil war breaking out, it’s already happening with all the unlicensed guns gangs use and the city council allowing illegal aliens drivers licenses.
Riki- Do yourself a favor and take a look at the statistics involving intoxication and incarceration. Most inmates were stoned or drunk while committing their crimes. Intoxication is not a license to leave of your senses and disregard the law. Conveying threats and inciting violence are illegal for the general population. If you don’t have the money to buy your way out then mind your Ps and Qs.
He’s probably the same guy that keeps thumbing down Pro AOC comments on this site thousands of times.
Let’s Go, Brendan! Club Fed is waiting for you.
Dont get me wrong this guy is a loser and should be punished. That being said I cant help feel sentences being delivered are completely unbalanced. we have a guy punch and kill a guy in front of the old gas light pub and he gets 6 months and there are tons of similar cases like that. we have people committing real violent crimes and there out the next day. This drugged out fool who probably has mental health problems gets 19 months. He will most definitely come out more messed up after the tax payers spend a lot of money to keep is butt in jail for 19 months.
Good, not the maximum but good. January 6th traitors deserve more time. What’s the usual sentence for treason?
just him? half of new york was wishing the same.
Look up Ray Epps and you’ll find out.
This is a great example of irresponsible media outlets like Fox Entertainment poisoning and manipulating the weak minded and gullible.
I’m not a FOX fan/viewer but CNN and MSNBC do exactly the same
Have you heard of Joy Reid?
Joy Reid is one show and one personality. Fox is an entire network and entertainment outlet made up of hundreds of Joy Reids. Do you have trouble discerning things to proportion? Your comparison is radically disproportionate.
Brendan Hunt is a typical drug abusing spoiled narcissist. If it wasn’t for his fathers positionBrendan wouldn’t even have a job. Daddy’s connections in the courts guaranteed his job. I never met a more self absorbed (yes I’m acquainted with him). He had absolutely no acting ability but was blinded by delusions of grandeur and honestly believed people wanted to see him and hear views on everything. He would fly off the handle over everything. Im no fan of AOC but most certainly didn’t agree with the poison this fool spewed. His father was obviously instrumental in what I consider a light sentence. We we will hear from this cowardly narcissist again.
Look at this right-wing genius. He looks like he could be in Fleet Foxes, but he’s more of a Screwdriver guy after all.
I spent half my time scared to death civil war is about to break out and this guy gets 19 months for calling for executions of our leaders? Not enough time. He’ll just be laying low while his co-religionists assemble, plan and perhaps start the war without him. He’ll be well fed, rested and ready to do his part.