DENVER – A Colorado man was arrested Wednesday after he was indicted on 12 federal counts for allegedly threatening members of Congress and their family members over a three-month period between last November and January.
According to federal court documents unsealed this week in the U.S. District Court of Colorado, Malachi Mathias Moon Seals faces counts including influencing or retaliating against a federal official by threat; interstate communication of threats; and influencing or retaliating against a federal official by threat to family.
The threats, according to the indictment, were made "with intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with such official while engaged in the performance of official duties and with intent to retaliate against such official on account of the performance of official duties."
He was indicted by a federal grand jury, according to the documents, which were filed on Tuesday. Moon Seals made his first court appearance on Wednesday and received a personal recognizance bond. A BusinessDen reporter first tweeted about the indictment Thursday.
According to the indictment, Moon Seals, from Pueblo County, threatened to assault and murder a member of Congress with the initials M.M., another with the initials L.B., and another with the initials J.M. He also is accused of threatening to murder and assault each of the members’ family members through communications over the internet, according to the indictment.
The initial threats started Nov. 20 of last year with threats to M.M., according to the indictment. The next day, threats were sent to L.B. They continued into December, when the alleged threats to J.M. were made. And on Jan. 20 of this year, he sent more alleged threats about M.M.
The documents do not identify the members of Congress to whom the threats were made.
There are three members of Congress with the initials L.B., including Rep. Lauren Boebert, the Republican who represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District. There are five members with the initials M.M., including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. And there are seven senators and representatives with the initials J.M.
If he is convicted of the counts, Moon Seals would potentially face up to dozens of years in prison.
The judge in the case set a personal recognizance bond on Wednesday. As part of Moon Seals' conditions of release, he will have to check in for supervision in Colorado Springs, seek employment, surrender his passport if he has one, not leave Colorado without court permission, not contact any victims or witnesses in the case, not possess a firearm or use alcohol or drugs, and not communicate with any government official or agency, according to court records.