Facebook, Getty Nathanial Blaine Luffman is accused of threatening a federal official.
The suspect accused of threatening to kill Senator Rand Paul and his family has been reportedly identified as Nathanial Blaine Luffman. An aggressive phone call was made to the senator’s office in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The suspect allegedly threatened to cut up Paul and his family with an axe.
The U.S. Capitol Police are not commenting on the investigation. But graphic details contained in the arrest warrant match what Senator Paul said about the nature of the threat.
According to his Facebook page, Luffman lives in Portland, Oregon. But his page states that he is originally from Murray, Kentucky; a local NPR station in Murray also backs that up. He was arrested in Berkeley, California.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. The Complaint Against Luffman is “Threatening the Family of a Public Official”
FacebookNathanial Blaine Luffman
The arrest record, obtained from the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, states that Luffman is accused of “influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a Federal Official by threatening or injuring a family member.” The document was filed on June 29th following the arrest.
The maximum penalty for this federal offense includes:
• 6 years of imprisonment for threatening assault or 10 years of imprisonment for threatening to kidnap or murder
• $250,000 fine
• 3 year term of Supervised Release
• $100 Special Assessment
Arrest warrant issued for Nathanial Blaine Luffman
2. Threatening Emails Prompted the Arrest Warrant
FacebookNathanial Blaine Luffman
According to the arrest warrant, Luffman sent a graphic email to USPC Special Agent Vernida Long as well as several employees with Oregon state government on Monday, June 25th. The email mentioned Special Agent Amy Hess of the Louisville, Kentucky Division of the FBI, along with the names of two other targets which were redacted in the public version of the arrest warrant. The subject line of the email read, “[Victim 1] & [Victim 2] Found Dead Execution/Suicide.” The message included, “Amy Hess going to put a bullet in your f***in head hear me b*tch? In Kentucky FBI Director Amy Hess what we call a Hot Blooded Pure Breed her job keep filthy b**ches like you Way from me.”
The second part of this message lines up with what Senator Paul revealed about the threat his office received: that someone was threatening to cut up his family. Again, police redacted the names of the victims. The email listed in the arrest warrant reads, “[Victim 2] found dead laying next to his whore now I’m going to gut your wife, your kids and Mr. little too just prove point this war far from through. Gut you like hog on Sunday [Victim 2] your kids bowels splashed out across floor blood splattered on the door as you lay dead next to your whore. Oh there’s [Redacted] & [Redacted] & [Redacted] sorry [Victim 2] I’m gonna get medieval on their asses #ObamaForLife”
**Warning: The image of the email contains obscenities**
From the arrest warrant of Nathanial Blaine Luffman, released by the Northern District of California
The arrest warrant goes on to state that the email address associated with the above threat “has been on record with USCP since 2017 and has been associated with other known threatening communications to members of Congress.”
According to the official court calendar at the Northern District of California, Luffman was scheduled to appear before a judge for a detention hearing Thursday. The calendar suggests Luffman may be represented by a public defender, because a defense team has not yet been appointed.
3. Luffman Claimed to Know of a Plot to Assassinate President Obama
FacebookNathanial Blaine Luffman
The arrest warrant transcribes a voicemail that Luffman is accused of leaving at the Portland, Oregon office of a witness. The statement reads, “Good morning, this is Senator Nathanial Blaine. I was in your office at the Portland federal building a week and a half- a month and a half ago or so to discuss [Victim 2’s] connection to an assassination plot against President Obama in Kentucky to cover up a organized crime ring where he receives prostitution services, um, and those whores names are on FBI Director Amy Hess’s desk along with videotapes, phone calls, texts, payment receipts, and money transfers. I just want to be cleat, on voice and in person, that [Victim 2] knows that the penalty for an attempted assassination of a U.S. official by a United States freemason is the execution of his entire family, including his children.
I’m sorry [Victim 2,] I’m sure your daughters are beautiful and lovely but these are your choices. You have a job that you are supposed to be in control. You have behaved less than a pubescent adolescent boy. So I’m going to teach you a lesson that I assure that that far past the grave you’re not gonna forget [pause] the way your daughters sound when their skin gets split and cut and hacked to pieces, boy. You’re trying to hurt papa Obama, boy? Alright. You wanna go to war? Let’s play war, boy. Let’s play war. Hoo-rah.”
Arrest warrant issued for Nathanial Blaine Luffman
The court document says that Capitol Police have been aware of Nathanial Blaine Luffman since 2017. Agents interviewed Luffman in Portland, Oregon back in February, in which he confirmed his email address. The address he provided in February matches the email address that was used to send the threatening message on Monday, June 25th.
4. Police Found Luffman’s Location on Facebook
According to the court document, police were aware that Luffman was in Berkeley, California last week because of Luffman’s facebook page. He posted several pictures and videos tagging his location.
In one of the videos, he does not say anything but wrote that he wants to represent Kentucky in the Senate. The caption reads, “Today’s theme is #Trouble #DoubleTrouble I mean #BidenBlaine like 2020 Election #BornToRun it’s our theme song. You probably don’t understand I had to be the #Senator of Kentucky. It’s not about money or White House but my #Pride the idear ? somebody else sitting in that Senate Seat other than me #Unacceptable I just could not handle the idea too many #Hens to be had.”
Luffman also appears to threaten violence in a Facebook post from June 26. In the video, he appears to be looking at textbooks on the American Revolution. Again, he does not speak in the video. But the caption says that there is another American Revolution happening, and that there “will be drawing, hanging & quartering.”
5. This Is the Second Time in Recent Months That Senator Paul Has Faced a Personal Threat
On Monday June 2, Paul tweeted, “Thank you to the US Capitol Police for their arrest of the man who recently threatened to kill my family and me.”
Thank you to the US Capitol Police for their arrest of the man who recently threatened to kill my family and me.
Senator Paul was in Litchfield, Kentucky that day speaking to constituents about future legislation. He spoke to reporters there about the threat, calling it “horrendous that we have to deal with things like this.”
Facebook/Rene BoucherDr. Rene Boucher pictured on his Facebook page.
In November 2017, Paul was attacked outside his home by his neighbor, retired doctor Rene Boucher. According to court documents, Boucher was angry about yard debris and lost his temper. Senator Paul suffered multiple broken ribs and a bruised lung in the attack and was hospitalized. The defense claims the assault had nothing to do with the senator’s political agenda.
Boucher pleaded guilty in March to one count of assaulting a member of Congress, which is a federal crime. In June, he was sentenced to 30 days behind bars with one year of supervised released. The judge also ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine and complete 100 hours of community service.
During the hearing, Boucher issued an apology to Senator Paul. The Bowling Green Daily News reported Boucher issued this statement: “What I did was wrong and I’m sincerely sorry for what I did. It’s not something I’m proud of, I’m embarrassed and I hope (Paul) and his family will one day be able to accept my apology, if possible. I lost my temper and I did not behave well, and I was wrong. I did not think I would be in a courthouse at the center of all this.”
After the sentencing, Senator Paul filed an additional civil lawsuit against his neighbor. He is suing Boucher for medical costs and legal fees. The lawsuit also requests a no-contact order.
Senator Paul spoke out a few weeks after the attack with Fox News. When asked whether he thought Boucher could have been motivated by political differences, Paul said it didn’t really matter. “I don’t really care what his motives are, other than that it’s cowardly and it’s criminal to attack someone from behind in their yard.”
Hodgkinson’s mugshot from his 2006 arrest.
Senator Paul was also on the baseball diamond the day that James T. Hodgkinson opened fire on the GOP congressional baseball team. Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana was shot and suffered critical damage to his organs, but luckily has since made a full recovery. Four others were injured in the assault.
Hodgkinson was shot and killed by Capitol police officers Crystal Griner and David Bailey. Paul was not injured in the attack.