MEDIA RELEASE

Aniruddha Sherbow, 44, whose last known address was in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was sentenced Monday to 33 months in prison for making a series of threats against Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. Representative for the 2nd District of Hawaii.

The sentencing was announced by Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Kim C. Dine, Chief of the United States Capitol Police, and Andrew G. McCabe, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Sherbow entered a plea of nolo contendere on Feb. 21, 2014, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to two counts of transmission of threats in interstate commerce. Under a nolo contendere plea, a defendant is convicted of the offense, accepts responsibility, and agrees that the government could prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. However, the defendant in such a plea does not admit to the facts of the case.

The Honorable Reggie B. Walton accepted the plea and sentenced Sherbow today. Following his prison term, Sherbow will be placed on three years of supervised release. During that time, Sherbow is barred from any direct or indirect contact with Congresswoman Gabbard.

Judge Walton also ordered Sherbow to pay $538,282 in restitution to the United States government, as reimbursement for security expenses incurred as a result of his threats. Finally, the judge ordered Sherbow to get a mental health evaluation and treatment, if necessary.

Sherbow was arrested on Aug. 28, 2013, in Tijuana, Mexico, by Policia Estatal Preventiva, Baja California State Police Fugitive Unit, pursuant to a federal arrest warrant issued in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He has been in custody ever since.

In addition to New York, Sherbow has lived in California, Mexico, and Hawaii.

According to the government’s evidence, Sherbow had been harassing Congresswoman Gabbard since approximately February 2011, including making threats via e-mail and telephone. The charges relate to two such threats, made in August of 2013.

On Aug. 1, 2013, Sherbow left a voice-mail message on Congresswoman Gabbard’s phone in which he threatened to kill her. Congresswoman Gabbard was in Washington, D.C., when she received the threatening message.

On Aug. 3, 2013, Sherbow, identifying himself by name, sent an e-mail to Congresswoman Gabbard and others, including the FBI. The subject and body of this e-mail also contained threats directed at Congresswoman Gabbard.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen, Chief Dine, and Assistant Director in Charge McCabe commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI.

They also expressed appreciation for the work of the Policia Estatal Preventiva, Baja California State Police Fugitive Unit; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, San Ysidro, and the San Diego and Honolulu Divisions of the FBI for their crucial work and joint collaboration in apprehending the defendant.

Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. DiLorenzo and Christopher Kavanaugh, who investigated and prosecuted the case.