A man in Washington was sentenced this week to eight years in prison for making a death threat against a District of Columbia Assistant U.S. Attorney, The Washington Post reported yesterday.
Prosecutors accused Wayne W. Pannell of hiring Darryl Tipps to contact Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Sines in February and make threats to kill her and kidnap her son, according to The Post. Sines had subpoenaed Pannell in a homicide trial in D.C. Superior Court.
Pannell and Tipps allegedly threatened the federal prosecutor to try to get the case thrown out or trial postponed, the newspaper said.
Tipps has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the death threat, according to The Post. But the sentencing date for Tipps could not be verified because his trial is continuing in secret, the newspaper said.
We reported earlier this week that threats against federal prosecutor increased during the last decade. Justice Department officials have pledged to address DOJ Office of Inspector General concerns about the safety of prosecutors.
