A Pennsylvania man was indicted on Tuesday on allegations he mailed letters to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, threatening to kidnap and harm them.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced it had obtained a grand jury indictment against 37-year-old James Charles Meininger, Jr., of Kingston, Pa.
A copy of the indictment states Meininger mailed a letter to Milley’s Pentagon address on Oct. 4, 2021. The Oct. 4, letter contained the threat to injure Milley and Pelosi. The indictment lists a second count, stating Meininger sent a letter on Oct. 4, with a threat to injure Hicks, Milley and others. It was not immediately clear if the indictment was describing two separate letters and the exact contents of the letters are not yet available.
In addition to threatening to kidnap Milley, Hicks and Pelosi, Meininger is also alleged to have sent a threatening letter to a news journalist in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. A third count in the indictment identified the journalist Meininger allegedly threatened as Borys Krawczeniuk of The Citizens’ Voice in another letter he sent on Oct. 4.
The charging documents against Meininger do not describe his motive. The case is currently being investigated by the FBI.
According to the Department of Justice, Meininger faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, followed by a term of supervised release and a fine.
A document filed on Thursday states that Meininger is already in custody at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility where he is awaiting a trial on unrelated charges and that he had also been taken to a state hospital for unspecified treatment. The letter, filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni, requests that a judge delay setting a trial date for Meininger so as to avoid interrupting his hospital treatment.
