Minnetonka man found guilty of threatening to murder judges, elected officials

MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Minnetonka man was found guilty of threatening to murder several federal judges and elected officials, the Department of Justice announced Friday. 

Man threatened to murder judges, politicians

What we know:

According to the DOJ, 68-year-old Jeffrey Allen Petersen was found guilty of 10 counts of threatening to murder United States judges and elected officials, and 10 counts of interstate transmission of threats to injure. 

Petersen posted on websites under usernames named after different mass shooters. On at least one website, he used the name "Adam Lanza", who committed a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. 

The U.S. Marshals Service was made aware of the posts from their judicial security intelligence. The U.S. Marshal Service found that the post was made with an IP address tied to Petersen, the DOJ said. The case was then referred to the FBI. 

Investigation found more online threats

Dig deeper:

Throughout the investigation, authorities had gotten more reports of threatening comments towards federal judges and elected officials from across the U.S. being posted on other websites. 

The DOJ says that one of the usernames used on the posts was "Behring.a" with the full name as "Anders Breivik Behring," who was a mass murderer who killed 77 people in 2011 at a summer camp in Norway. He also posted under the name "james holmes," who was the Aurora, Colorado mass shooter. 

The IP addresses of those accounts led back to Petersen in Minnetonka. 

Authorities executed a search warrant on Petersen's Minnetonka home and seized several electronic devices, the DOJ said. On the devices, authorities found the email addresses tied to the various accounts he used to make the threats. 

According to the DOJ, in total, Petersen threatened eight judges, including an Associate Supreme Court Justice, and at least four elected officials. 

What they're saying:

"My office has no tolerance for political violence and threats of political violence," said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. "We will prosecute—to the fullest extent of the law—those who intimidate or threaten public servants who are just doing their jobs." 

"Threats against federal judges and lawmakers strike at the heart of our judicial system and our democracy," said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson. "The FBI Minneapolis Joint Terrorism Task Force will investigate and disrupt individuals who attempt to intimidate or harm public officials. At a time when Minnesota communities are especially mindful of political violence, this conviction on all 20 counts reflects the strength of our partnerships and our unwavering commitment to protecting those who serve the public." 

What we don't know:

The DOJ did not say who the judges or elected officials were who were threatened. They also didn't say which websites the threats were found on. 

The Source: Information in this story comes from a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.