Maryland Man, Twice Convicted at Trial of Making Violent Threats Against Federal Judges, Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Keith Dougherty, 70, of College Park, Maryland, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Gerald A. McHugh for making violent threats against federal judges.

The defendant was charged by indictment in July 2024. In May of this year, Dougherty was convicted at trial of one count of threatening to assault and murder United States judges with the intent to impede, intimidate, and interfere with them while they were engaged in the performance of official duties, and with the intent to retaliate against them on account of their performance of official duties, and three counts of mailing threatening communications.

As detailed in court filings and proven at trial, the defendant mailed and/or filed motions containing threatening language directed at federal judges, on numerous occasions and in several federal districts. He had already been prosecuted and convicted by a federal jury in December of 2021 for such filings and served a 41-month prison term in that case, followed by a three-year period of supervised release.

Just months into that supervised release, he uttered more threatening communications, so his supervised release was revoked, and he was returned to prison. While back in prison serving the violation sentence, he again mailed and/or filed the same sort of threatening language, resulting in the July 2024 charges and May trial conviction.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph LaBar.

Note: the posting of this press release was delayed, due to the federal government shutdown from October 1, 2025, to November 12, 2025.