Man Who Threatened to Kill Barack Obama & Maxine Waters Found Guilty, Faces up to 20 Years in Jail

The man who threatened to kill Barack Obama and Maxine Waters was found guilty of the crime and is now facing up to 20 years in prison.

A New York resident was found guilty of making death threats against former US President Barack Obama and California Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

After a three-day trial, a jury convicted Stephen Taubert with multiple charges, including threats against a former president, threatening to assault a federal official, and using interstate commerce to make a threat.

According to the US Attorney's Office, the 51-year-old now faces up to 20 years in prison.

HOW THE CHARGES CAME TO BE

The charges against Taubert sprung from a series of phone calls made to Congressional offices in 2017 and 2018, with Taubert calling Waters' office threatening to kill her and the rest of her staff.

He also called the office of former Senator Al Franken back in 2017, saying he was going to "hang" Obama in his home, killing him.

In both calls, the US Attorney's Office confirmed that the man used "vile racial slurs," which prompted action from their part.

In a press release that they shared online, the office said:

“The jury made specific findings that Taubert selected his victims because of their actual or perceived race, color, and ethnicity, which provides [an] enhancement under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines for hate-crime motivation.”

Recordings of the phone calls were played for the jury, which ultimately affected their decision.

Now, the Syracuse resident faces 10 years on his retaliation charge and a maximum of five years on his other two counts. He will be sentenced on July 24, 2019.

HATE ACTS AGAINST BARACK OBAMA

It's not just death threats that former POTUS Barack Obama gets, but sometimes, even things associated with him get involved and are either broken down or vandalized.

In February 2019, a Trump supporter named Rewell Altunaga was seen smashing the window of a "Romantic Depot" store in Manhattan, before he grabbed a mannequin that looked like Barack Obama and threw it on the ground.

Thanks to surveillance footage, the act made by the 41-year-old was clearly seen, showing him pass the storefront looking annoyed before giving the window a kick. However, kicking the glass and pacing back and forth was just not enough for him, as he walked towards a construction area and grabbed a cinderblock.

He then smashed the window, pulled out the mannequin, and threw it on the ground. Seeing the footage, a member of Romantic Depot's security team ran after the man and detained him before the NYPD arrived.