Ohio Man Charged With Threatening to Kill Justice Thomas, Blow Up Court
An Ohio man has been charged with threatening Justice Clarence Thomas along with several black celebrities.
David Tuason is accused of sending a racially charged letter to Thomas in 2003 that threatened to blow up the Supreme Court building, the Associated Press reports. The letter said Thomas would be “castrated, shot or set on fire. … I want him killed.”
CNN quotes a source close to the investigation as saying Tuason made threats against Thomas in letters mailed to him personally and to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Prosecutors said Tuason targeted African-Americans who had relationships with whites, and sometimes targeted their children. The indictment does not identify Tuason’s targets by name. It refers to “CT” for Thomas, to “LN” formerly of the Cleveland Cavaliers and to a well-known singer known as “AJ.” AP has identified the latter two celebrities as Larry Nance of the Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns and R&B artist Al Jarreau.
Acting U.S. Attorney William Edwards told AP that Tuason sent more than 200 threatening letters and e-mails over a 20-year period. “It’s been a very long, enduring case,” Wilson said. “Basically it’s a case we never gave up on.”
Tuason was charged with two counts of transmitting threatening interstate communications and six counts of mailing threatening communications, according to a press release.
