Rochester Man Arrested Second Time in Two Days for Threatening to Kill the President, Governor, and Lt. Governor

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Brandon Correa, 30, of Rochester, N.Y., was arrested on new charges of making a direct threat to kill the President of the United States, Barack Obama. The defendant is also accused of making new online threats to kill New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy. Each count is punishable by five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that according to a criminal complaint, the defendant, who was indicted on August 5, 2014 on similar charges, was on Twitter and Facebook within the last 48 hours posting new threats. Some of the new postings included photographs of President Obama, Governor Cuomo, and Lt. Governor Duffy and the text “…you three get ready to die”.

The defendant appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson this afternoon and was detained. Correa is due back in court on August 11, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Payson. 

The complaint is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the United States Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge, Tracy Gast, and Investigators from the New York State Police, Protective Services Unit, under the direction of Major Stephen Nevins.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.