North Carolina Man Sentenced to 28 Months in Prison for Making Threat Against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

            WASHINGTON – A North Carolina man was sentenced today to 28 months in prison after earlier pleading guilty to a felony charge involving a threat he made to shoot House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

            According to court documents, Cleveland Grover Meredith, Jr., 53, of Hayesville, N.C., traveled from Colorado to Washington D.C. and arrived late in the evening of Jan. 6, 2021, after the riots at the U.S. Capitol had ended. He had planned to arrive in Washington on Jan. 5 and attend various rallies. On Jan. 7, while at a hotel in Washington, D.C., he sent a text message to one of his relatives who was then in Georgia. The text message included a threat directed toward House Speaker Pelosi. The relative contacted Meredith’s mother, who then contacted the FBI.

            The FBI located Meredith at a hotel approximately one mile from the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7, and arrested him. He gave consent to search his phone, truck and trailer, which was physically present at the hotel. The FBI found a 9 mm semi-automatic firearm, an assault-style rifle with a telescopic sight, approximately 2,500 rounds of ammunition, and multiple large-capacity ammunition feeding devices inside the trailer. Meredith has been detained since his arrest.

            Meredith pleaded guilty on Sept. 10, 2021, in the District of Columbia to interstate communication of threats. At sentencing, Judge Amy Berman Jackson also ordered that Meredith must serve a period of three years of supervised release, following completion of his prison term.

            This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            In the 11 months since Jan. 6, more than 700 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 220 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.