Man faces up to five years in prison for threatening to kill Matt Gaetz

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Eugene Huelsman, 59, of Thousand Oaks, California, pled guilty yesterday to one count of transmission of a threat in interstate commerce related to a voicemail he left for U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced.

Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the plea.

Sentencing is currently set for June 30, 2022, at 1 p.m., at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before the Honorable United States District Judge T.K. Wetherell, II. Huelsman faces up to five years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

During the plea hearing, Huelsman admitted that, on January 9, 2021, he telephoned United States Congressman Matthew Gaetz’s congressional district office in Pensacola. When no one answered, Huelsman left a profanity-laced voicemail threatening to kill Gaetz.

This included threatening to “put a bullet in” Gaetz and members of his family, the DOJ said.

The United States Capitol Police were contacted when the threat was made, which triggered security protocols related to the victim.

The investigation revealed this was not the first time Huelsman made threats involving political figures. The DOJ said that Huelsman had previously been investigated for threatening a member of a former President’s family via social media.

The case was investigated by the United States Capitol Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Lazaro P. Fields.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.