Marcus Pratt, 39, of Crestview, has pleaded guilty to mailing threatening communications and influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official.
Pratt faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
According to the plea agreement, Pratt, while serving a state sentence in Live Oak in July 2023, sent a threatening handwritten letter via U.S. Mail.
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The letter, addressed to a federal judge and the federal courthouse in Miami, threatened that his associates would kill a specific U.S. District Judge and plant bombs outside the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Pratt continued to send threatening letters. On September 27, 2023, he mailed another letter to the same federal judge, threatening that his associates would kill the judge and anyone present at his home.
On October 10, 2023, Pratt sent a third letter to the judge, stating that his associates would kill him soon and that he was planning an attack on the U.S. Courthouse and U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami.
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All letters were signed by Pratt and explicitly threatened to kill the judge in retaliation for the performance of his official duties.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Marshals Service investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Lasry and Kirwinn Mike are prosecuting the case.
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