Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening a Witness in a Federal Criminal Tax Trial

The Justice Department announced today that Anthony Williams, a resident of Baton Rouge, La., pleaded guilty today to one count of threatening to retaliate against a witness in a federal criminal tax trial.

According to court documents, Williams threatened to cause bodily injury to a witness who testified in the federal trial of United States v. Angela Myers.  In his plea agreement, Williams, who is Myers’ son, admitted to sending a threat via Instagram with the intent to retaliate against the witness for his testimony.  In March 2013, Myers was convicted by a jury for her role in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme, and was subsequently sentenced to serve 11 years in federal prison. 

Williams faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  As part of his plea agreement, Williams also agreed to a condition of release prohibiting him from initiating any contact whatsoever with the witness he threatened.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)- Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.  Trial Attorneys Justin Gelfand and Jason Poole of the Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana.