A federal grand jury Tuesday indicted a man arrested in March for allegedly threatening to kill U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, according to the office of the U.S. attorney for the district of Nevada.
If convicted, Louis Damato is facing up to 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine on counts of threatening to assault and murder a public figure and interstate threats, officials said.
Damato, 47, was arrested hours after phoning in a threat to Titus’ Washington office in the early hours of March 16, according to his criminal complaint.
On the phone call — which was made about 3:45 a.m. from a room at Red Rock Resort, where Damato was staying — a man said, “So guess what? I bought a (expletive) gun, OK? I’m coming to D.C. to blow your (expletive) head off.”
After his arrest, Damato allegedly told agents he’d planned to take Titus’ congressional seat in a future election, referencing remarks from President Donald Trump.
When he was the Republican candidate, Trump joked with a rally crowd about not losing support if he were to shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Damato, of Las Vegas, allegedly told agents he could shoot Titus on “Fifth Avenue and not lose a vote.”
There is no Fifth Avenue in Washington.
Shortly after the arrest, Titus’ office released a statement thanking law enforcement: “(Metro Police), U.S. Capitol Police, and FBI work so hard to keep us safe. I’m grateful for their service and professionalism every day — and today is certainly no exception.”
Damato is slated to appear in a Las Vegas federal courtroom on June 1.