Man asks for federal prison time in judge-threat case so he can get mental health treatment
Already serving a five-year South Carolina state prison sentence for threatening the life of a prosecutor, Kashif Quanta Washington asked for, and got, additional federal time for threatening the life of a federal judge.
The 11-month federal term imposed Wednesday in the Charleston case will be served consecutively, as Washington’s lawyer requested, so he can get the mental health treatment he needs, the Post and Courier reports.
“I just want to apologize for the acts I committed. I’m just asking you to have mercy on me, forgive me and please get me some help,” the 30-year-old Washington told U.S. District Judge David Norton. He said he is not currently receiving any mental health treatment, despite what his lawyer described as a history of mental illness, and added: “Federal treats me better than state.”
Mental health treatment was ordered as part of Washington’s state-court sentence, the newspaper says, but he is supposed to get it during a supervised period after he is released from prison.
Washington was already jailed in Charleston in 2012 when he sent letters to 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson and assistant solicitor Amy Harrell, WCIV reported at the time. In them, he threatened to kill Harrell and family members, saying, at one point, “if I can’t find her home address, I will wait for her when she gets off from work.”
In a postscript, he tells Wilson “Scarlett, the only reason I’m writing you this letter is to advise you that you are going to be missing a solicitor.”
Washington’s threat to kill U.S. District Judge Patrick Michael Duffy was contained the same letter, or a similar letter, to Wilson, according to a federal indictment.
Washington pleaded guilty in April to multiple charges including threatening to assault a federal official and threatening to use an explosive to destroy a building.
