Coventry Man Arrested For Making Threats Against The President

Deirdre M. Daly, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert L. Barrett, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, today announced that JOSHUA PHILLIP KLIMAS, 32, of Coventry, was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with making threats against the President of the United States and the President’s family.

KLIMAS was arrested by the U.S. Secret Service at his residence.  He appeared yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna F. Martinez in Hartford and was ordered to be admitted to a local hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

As alleged in the criminal complaint, on June 1, 2013, KLIMAS sent a message to the whitehouse.gov website that contained several threatening statements against President Obama and his family, including “If you do not resign by the end of the year I will kill you!”

The complaint further alleges that KLIMAS has also threatened other individuals.

This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, with the assistance of the UConn Police Department and the Coventry Police Department.

Acting U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov