Arizona Man Arrested for Assaulting Federal Officers and Mailing Threatening Communications in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE – Brian Clayton Charles, 49, of Tucson, Ariz., made his initial appearance yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico that charges him with assaulting a federal law enforcement officer and mailing threatening communications,

Charles was arrested in Tucson on May 24, 2017, on a criminal complaint alleging that he retaliated against a federal law enforcement official by sending threatening mail to the personal residence of an officer of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) who is commissioned as a Special Federal Officer by the U.S. Marshals Service. The criminal complaint also charges Charles with mailing threatening communications to five other APD officers in Sept. 2016 and Oct. 2016.

According to the criminal complaint, the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State initiated an investigation into Charles after he allegedly mailed a letter, which was postmarked March 24, 2016, to the home address of then Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington D.C., which threatened to harm the Secretary of State. The complaint alleges that Charles previously had mailed threatening communications to numerous other federal government officials in addition to communications threatening APD officers.

During yesterday’s proceedings in Tucson, waived his right to a detention hearing and remains in custody pending transfer to New Mexico to face the criminal charges against him.

If convicted of the charges in the criminal complaint, Charles faces the following statutory maximum penalties: six years in prison for retaliating against a federal law enforcement official; five years in prison on each count of the five counts for mailing threatening communications; and ten years in prison for assaulting a federal officer. Charges in criminal complaints are merely accusations. All criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Inspector General with assistance from APD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. Spiers is prosecuting the case.