WHITE PLAINS, New York — Two months of plea bargaining has led to an offer from prosecutors that could avert a trial for a man accused of making death threats on Facebook against some of the nation's best-known politicians.
A lawyer for defendant Lawrence Mulqueen said after a court session Thursday that "there's been a plea agreement proposed." He cautioned, however, that Mulqueen had not yet formally accepted it.
"The final decision is Mr. Mulqueen's," said defense attorney Jason Ser.
Mulqueen is accused of ranting on Facebook that he wanted to kill Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Police found two illegal rifles and other weapons in his Nanuet apartment in February.
If he were to go to trial, Mulqueen, 50, would face up to 15 years in prison, although federal sentencing guidelines would likely mean a shorter term.
Neither Ser nor prosecutor Ilan Graff would describe the terms of the proposed agreement. Graff seemed confident it would be accepted, telling the judge he expects an agreement by the next court date, May 28.
Mulqueen, in an orange jumpsuit from the Westchester County jail, did not speak during the court session. He is being held without bail.
Investigators said that in Facebook postings, Mulqueen predicted a "dirt nap" for the politicians and wrote, "I cannot wait to start killing the scum." The complaint also attributes several racist and obscene statements to Mulqueen.
It says Mulqueen said in one posting, "The first wave to protect against is the inner city scum, do all you can to waste these lowlifes but be mindful of your ammo. Use blades when you can to conserve bullets."
Besides the federal death-threat charges, he is accused in state court of criminal weapon possession and food-stamp fraud. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Content enhanced with OpenCalais.