Threatening Voicemail Lands Texas Woman in Federal Prison

A Texas woman, Abigail Jo Shry, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for threatening federal Judge Tanya Chutkan in a voicemail related to Trump's election subversion case. Shry, from Alvin, Texas, admitted to making the threats, which included racist slurs and violent intentions against Democrats and LGBTQ individuals.

Abigail Jo Shry, from Alvin, Texas, has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for leaving a violent voicemail for the federal judge handling a dismissed election subversion case against former President Donald Trump.

U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison issued the sentence in Houston after Shry, 45, pleaded guilty last year to the threats directed at U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who had overseen the case involving Trump's alleged efforts to reverse the 2020 election results. Shry's voicemail included racist remarks and threats to kill several Democrats, including U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee and members of the LGBTQ community.

The charges were related to a call made on August 5, 2023, just after the case was unsealed. Although Trump denied any wrongdoing, his efforts to challenge the election results led to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. After Trump was reelected in 2024, the case was dismissed. Shry argued her threats were free speech, but eventually, conceded she had no plans to act on them.

(With inputs from agencies.)