A federal grand jury in Columbia has indicted Eric Anthony Rome Jr., a 37-year-old inmate at the South Carolina Department of Corrections, on two counts related to sending threatening communications. The indictment alleges that in January, Rome sent a letter to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews based in Chicago. The letter contained threats and derogatory language toward the Jewish community and concluded with: “Enjoy having Trump in office while you can because we are going to kill him too.” Rome signed his full name to the correspondence.
Rome is currently serving a state sentence for armed robbery and has previously been convicted twice in federal court for threatening the president of the United States. After completing his state sentence in 2030, he is scheduled to begin serving a five-year federal sentence for an earlier conviction involving similar threats.
If convicted on these new charges, Rome could face up to 10 years in federal prison, a fine as high as $250,000, and restitution.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. State Department, and South Carolina Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston D. Holliday Jr. is handling prosecution.
Authorities emphasize that all charges are accusations at this stage and that defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
