JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Christopher Kent Podlesnik, of Laramie, was sentenced today to prison and fined $10,000 for making threats to state and federal representatives.
Podlesnik, 52, pleaded guilty to four counts of transmitting threats in interstate commerce. He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, three years of supervised release with special conditions, a fine of $10,000, and special assessments totaling $400.
A federal grand jury charged Podlesnik with leaving voicemail messages threatening various elected officials on January 28, 2021. Podlesnik called U.S. Sens. Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso, U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz, and Wyoming State Senator Anthony Bouchard. He left messages that included profanity-laced and threatening language constituting true threats.
As defined by the Supreme Court, true threats are “statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular individual or group of individuals.”
In a voicemail left for Lummis, Podlesnik said, among other things, “You are going to [expletive] get shot in the [expletive] back of the head.” In a voicemail to Wyoming State Senator Anthony Bouchard, Podlesnik said, among other things, “You’re a [expletive] traitor, and you deserve to be shot.”
“As Americans, we cherish the freedoms secured by our Bill of Rights, including our freedom of speech,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Murray. “However, the criminal threats Christopher Podlesnik made with the intent to place multiple victims in fear of injury or death are not free speech protected by the Constitution. Rather, those threats cost him a hefty fine and 18 months in federal prison.”
Michael Schneider, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Denver Division, added, “The FBI vigorously pursues all credible threats directed at our elected officials. I am extremely proud of our Wyoming agents who successfully investigated this case and worked within the justice system to hold Mr. Podlesnik accountable for his actions. I want to thank our law enforcement partners who also worked on this matter to include the U.S. Capitol Police, Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Laramie Police Department.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Szott.
