TOLEDO, OH — A Toledo man has been accused of threatening to shoot U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He posted a comment on Facebook saying, “She should be shot. Can’t fire me, my employer would load the gun for me,” according to an indictment.
Timothy Ireland, 41, was charged in U.S. District Court in Toledo with one count of making interstate threats, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of being a fugitive in possession of a firearm.
“There is absolutely no place in the marketplace of ideas for threats of violence against any person, especially those who are elected to represent the American people,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “Disagreement on political issues cannot lead to acts of violence, and if it does, we will seek federal prison time.”
On July 23, the United States Capitol Police (USCP) got a tip about a man making threatening statements on Facebook. The statements appeared to be directed at a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Click Here: Golf special
Investigators got a screenshot of a news story posted to Facebook, about Ocasio-Cortez, with the comment, “She should be shot. Can’t fire me, my employer would load the gun for me,” the indictment said.
The comment was made by a Facebook account for Tim Ireland, from Toledo, the complaint said.
The USCP investigators interviewed Ireland on August 2 and he told them he was proud of the post he made, the indictment said. He said he has guns and always carries them concealed, the complaint noted.
A criminal history check on Ireland revealed he had outstanding warrants for felony failure to appear in Florida and a misdemeanor failure to appear in Georgia for marijuana possession. He had been convicted in 1996 of four felony counts of dealing stolen property, the Department of Justice said.
USCP and ATF agents searched Ireland’s Toledo home on August 8. They found three rounds of .32-caliber ammunition and four rounds of .45-caliber ammunition. He was then taken into custody for his outstanding warrant in Florida.
The investigation into Ireland was led by the USCP and included the ATF and Toledo Police Department.
“The mission of the United States Capitol Police is to protect the Congress, the U.S. Capitol, and all who work and visit here. I want to thank our special agents for their excellent work in investigating this case as well as our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their assistance,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund.
