Montgomery County Man Who Shot At Democratic Building Gets Three Years In Federal Prison

PHILADELPHIA — A Montgomery County man who sent threatening email messages to the county Democratic building in the months following President Donald Trump's election loss, and who subsequently fired shots at the party headquarters, has been sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison.

Anthony Nero, 48, of Worcester Township, was sentenced to time behind bars in a federal lockup by U.S. District Judge Karen S. Marston on Wednesday.

Nero, who had originally been charged by Montgomery County prosecutors before the case was taken over by the federal government, pleaded guilty this past January to charges of sending threatening communications and cyberstalking in connection with a shooting at the Democratic headquarters in 2021.

"In the midst of a politically tumultuous time in our Nation, Anthony Nero sent a threatening communication and then followed up on his threats with a violent act that could have resulted in catastrophic injury, or worse," U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said in a statement.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, who was originally set to prosecute the case, thanked the federal government for its efforts in bringing about justice in the matter.

"There is no place for this kind of criminal behavior in our democracy, and our law enforcement will continue to stand together to make sure that those who act in this way are brought to justice," Steele said in a statement.

Jacqueline Maguire, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division, said in a statement that "no one should fear becoming the victim of physical violence at the hands of an angry stranger.

"That's why sending threatening communications is a crime, and why the FBI and our partners take threats so seriously as we work to protect and serve everyone in our communities," Maguire stated.

Learn more about the case against Nero in Patch's previous coverage.