Harrisburg Man Sentenced For Threatening Federal Law Enforcement Officer

HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that a Harrisburg man has been sentenced to 80 months incarceration by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner for threatening to kill a federal law enforcement officer.

According to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith, Abraham Cruz, age 54, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg four years ago after Cruz allegedly threatened employees at the Social Security Office in Harrisburg in August 2011.  Later that day when Cruz was contacted by an agent from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service, who was investigating the incident, Cruz repeated the threats in two separate telephone conversations with the agent.  During both conversations, one of which was recorded, Cruz also threatened to kill the agent.

Cruz went to trial on the charges in April 2012, he was convicted by a jury on two counts of threatening a federal law enforcement officer.  Sentencing was delayed until today while Cruz underwent a period of evaluation and treatment at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons medical facility at Butner, North Carolina. In imposing the 80 month sentence, Chief Judge Connor cited Cruz’s lengthy criminal history record and the need to protect the public.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel.

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