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U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and her family can rest a little easier, thanks to the conviction of a Texas man who threatened her 4 times over the phone in her Hawthorne office.
Brian Gaherty of Houston, 61, was sentenced to 33 months in a federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who said Waters was threatened with physical violence and death. In one of the recorded calls, Gaherty told Waters he would “cut your throat.”
A total of four calls were made in 2022—two in August and two in November. Authorities contacted Gaherty in October and warned him to stop, but he persisted. He was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and serve a nearly three-year prison term. A hate crime enhancement was applied to the sentence by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner because he found Waters was targeted because of her race.
Waters appeared in court in downtown Los Angeles for the sentencing on June 17. She said threats made by Gaherty have caused her and her family members to live in fear, and that the incidents have “given me nightmares,”
Outside, she told reporters: “I’m hopeful that this will be a deterrent to those who believe they can threaten an elected official, threaten to kill us and terrorize us. I really think this goes a long way to holding him accountable.”
She noted rising incidents of violence targeting women of color and people of color,” and said, “I came here today because I want to understand, I want to know why we have people with that much hatred and that much dislike of people of color.”
Gaherty admitted to threatening Waters and pleaded guilty to one felony count of threatening a United States official. He said he was “sorry this happened” and “I have no hatred in my heart.”
