Press Release
Local Woman Indicted For Threat Against President
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas
HOUSTON – Denise O’Neal, aka Teddy Bear Paradise, was been indicted by a federal grand jury for threatening to injure and murder President Obama, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
O’Neal was initially arrested on Dec. 26, 2013, upon the filing of a criminal complaint. She subsequently appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson who ordered her held without bond pending further criminal proceedings. She is expected to make an initial appearance on the indictment in the near future.
The indictment alleges O’Neal, a 57-year-old resident of Houston, mailed a letter to the President that contained a threat, specifically, that she was going to travel to Washington D.C. to murder him.
If convicted, O’Neal faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the Secret Service and is prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie N. Searle.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Updated April 30, 2015
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