ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - A northern Virginia man who used Twitter to threaten two U.S. senators in the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shooting has been sentenced to two years of probation.
Prosecutors had asked for a six-month jail sentence for 28-year-old Kyler Schmitz of Alexandria. Schmitz pleaded guilty to communicating threats after sending tweets to two unidentified senators saying he was “literally going to buy a gun” and “shoot you in the face.”
Schmitz apologized for his conduct at Friday’s sentencing hearing and said he never intended to follow through. His lawyers said in court papers he was upset the senators had blocked gun-control legislation.
U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee barred Schmitz from any use of social media during his time on probation and imposed a 90-day period of home confinement.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.