U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
Columbia Prisoner Sentenced for Threatening President
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina
Contact Person: Winston Holliday (803) 929-3000
Columbia, South Carolina---- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated that ERIC ANTHONY ROME, age 26, formerly of Mauldin, South Carolina, currently incarcerated at the Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia, was sentenced in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, for Making Threats Against the President of the United States, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 871. United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr., of Columbia sentenced Rome to 41 months of incarceration.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that on May 16, 2014, Eric Anthony Rome left a message with the Inspector General of the South Carolina Department of Corrections stating that he planned to kill President Obama upon his release from prison on August 22, 2015.
When interviewed by Agents, Rome admitted to calling the Inspector General’s office and leaving the voicemail. He claimed he had been a member of the Aryan nation since he was seventeen-years-old and that he would obtain money from them. He also claimed he was offered money previously by the Aryan Nation to assassinate President Obama. Further, Rome claimed his plan is to use the money from the Aryan nation to purchase a rifle and for traveling to Washington, D.C., and “lay and wait” for an accurate shot.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Winston Holliday of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.
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Updated September 23, 2015
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