Man sentenced to 3 years of probation for making threatening call to US House member

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire man who pleaded guilty to making a threatening phone call to a member of Congress was sentenced in federal court to three years of probation on Thursday.

Allan Poller was a Keene State College student when he was accused of calling the office of a U.S. House member last March and leaving a message with his name and phone number saying, “If you keep on coming for the gays, we’re gonna strike back,” and “We will kill you if that’s what it takes.” The representative was not identified.

Poller, 24, pleaded guilty in October to using interstate commerce to transmit a threat of injury. He told authorities he had been drinking and left the message after becoming angry while watching TikTok videos.

Prosecutors and Poller’s lawyer favored probation. He was also fined $500, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Poller “has used the catastrophic effect of his actions as a catalyst to begin a new path in his life,” according to a sentencing memorandum written by his lawyer. “He has strengthened his bond with his family and has completely accepted recovery into his life.”

Prosecutors noted that Poller “is a young man who has faced dramatic challenges in his life but had no prior contacts with the criminal justice system. He has also already faced significant consequences as a result of his conduct, arrest, and plea in this case.”

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