A Florida man was sentenced to 14 months in prison on Tuesday for threatening to kill U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
Neal Brij Sidhwaney, a former Google programmer, was accused of leaving a threatening, expletive-laden voice message with the U.S. Supreme Court on July 31, 2023.
“Yeah hi, my name is Neal Sidhwaney, uh, this message is for [Justice Roberts]… I will fucking kill you… Go fucking tell the Deputy U.S. Marshals you fucking pussy,” he said according to a court filing. “I will fucking talk to them and then I’ll fucking come kill you anyways, you fucking cunt.”
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Before the U.S. Supreme Court had gone on summer recess that June, Roberts had been seeking to install an enforcement mechanism for a court ethics code, but was unsuccessful. Members of Congress had written to Roberts, voicing their “grave concerns” over reports that Justice Samuel Alito had ties to a hedge fund manager involved in a number of Supreme Court cases, and Justice Clarence Thomas had been receiving exorbitant gifts from wealthy friends.
At the end of June, the Supreme Court had also handed down a decision gutting affirmative action in U.S. universities.
Sidhwaney arrested on charges of making interstate threats in August, and pleaded guilty to charges in December. His sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
The DOJ has declined to name Justice Roberts, but his name was included in court documents related to Sidhwaney’s psychological evaluation. Sidhwaney was found to have “fixed delusional beliefs,” and was diagnosed with delusional disorder with psychosis.
Dr. Alan J. Harris, who completed Sidhwaney’s psych evaluation, said that his paranoia began after he left Google, and that he’d become convinced that Google planted a microchip in his head and foot, according to the New York Post.
