An Illinois resident has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for sending a series of violent threats to a U.S. District Judge in the Southern District of Florida, targeting both the judge and the judge’s family.
Eric James Rennert, 56, of Champaign, Illinois, pleaded guilty to three counts related to threatening to assault, kidnap, and murder a federal judge with the intention of impeding or retaliating against the judge’s official duties. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung for the Middle District of Florida.
“Threatening a federal judge is not protest. It is a federal crime,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “When someone sends violent threats to intimidate a judge or terrorize a judge’s family, they are attacking the rule of law itself. Let this sentence send a clear message: if you threaten a judge in the Southern District of Florida, we will find you, we will charge you, and we will move your case swiftly and aggressively. Our judges will continue to do their jobs without fear, and this Office will ensure they are protected.”
Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office stated: “Threats to kill a federal judge are an attack on our justice system and will not be tolerated. Mr. Rennert engaged in egregious criminal conduct which resulted in a thorough investigation and aggressive prosecution. Our judicial system, and the officers of the court who work within it, must be free from intimidation to ensure the impartiality of their work. The FBI will vigorously investigate these types of threats to preserve the integrity of our courts.”
Court records show that between May and July 2024, Rennert sent several emails from his personal account containing increasingly severe threats to the judge’s personal email address. On May 25, 2024, he threatened that both the judge and family would be “hunted down” and executed. On May 28, Rennert mistakenly sent a similar threat to an unrelated professor before forwarding it correctly; this message again included explicit threats toward both the judge and family members.
Rennert continued on June 25 with another email containing profane language and stating that harm would come regardless of future outcomes. The last threatening email was sent on July 24 with the subject “your going down,” again directly threatening violence against the judge.
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated this case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Elena Smukler-Dominguez and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wheeler III prosecuted it.
Additional details about court documents can be accessed at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or through http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20425.
