California Man Charged With Sending Death Threats to Fani Willis

A southern California man was charged with sending death threats to Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis over her prosecution of Donald Trump, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia announced Friday.

Marc Shultz, 66, of Chula Vista, made his first federal court appearance in San Diego on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. He had been indicted by a federal grand jury on April 24 and will be formally arraigned in Atlanta in June.

Shultz allegedly threatened Willis’ life in several comments posted to YouTube livestream videos on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5, vowing to violently murder her. In the comments, he lobbed racial slurs at the D.A. and said she “will be killed like a dog,” according to the indictment and the U.S. Attorney’s release.

Willis, who is prosecuting Trump for alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, has been the target of racist threats since Trump’s indictment in August. Trump himself has been relentless in his criticism of her, launching both personal attacks and plain falsehoods.

“Threats of violence against government officials, specifically, threaten the very fabric of our democracy,” Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said. “We want everyone to know that if you engage in such behavior, you will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

In a statement, Willis thanked the U.S. Attorney in Northern Georgia for bringing the indictment and made a dig at Republican state Senator Bill Cowsert, who is investigating Willis for misconduct.

“On the same day Senator Bill Cowsert had the audacity to question whether an elected African American female District Attorney deserves protection from death threats, the United States Attorney and the FBI announced another indictment of someone who threatened my life,” Willis said.

“I thank US Attorney Ryan Buchanan, his staff and the FBI for believing the life of an African American elected official has value and for their diligent efforts in ensuring the safety of myself, my staff, and our families.”

Willis has faced the Trump team’s sustained attempts to oust her over an affair she had with a former special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, who she hired to lead the case. Judge Scott McAfee ultimately ruled that Willis could stay, on the condition that Wade would leave the case. Wade resigned shortly afterward.

Shultz’s threats were made months before Willis’ affair was uncovered.