A failed Delaware gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidate who pleaded guilty in August to mailing death threats to his ex-wife’s attorney has been sentenced.
Michael Protack, 64, was sentenced in federal court on Tuesday to 12 months in prison for the threats, which began early last year.
According to court documents and the U.S. Department of Justice, Protack mailed the first letter in January 2021, which began with “the VIPERs are coming for you.”
BACKGROUND:Former Delaware gubernatorial, Senate candidate charged in federal court
The letter went on to say the VIPERs – which may refer to a veteran’s organization, though it is not clear from court documents – have military experience and “no fear of the outcome.”
“You are a coward who will regret his actions,” the letter said. “Count on being dead by June 2021. You won’t know when, where, or how, but your end has been written. Take the time and put your affairs in order because they will not find your body for weeks.”
Another threat, which Protack sent to the attorney about a month later, contained a “graphic image of a dead, mutilated body,” the Justice Department said. One of Protack’s final threats said: “I drive past your office every day.”
Protack, a 1975 graduate of William Penn High School and 1979 graduate of the University of Delaware, ran unsuccessful primary campaigns for governor in 2004 and 2008 and for U.S. Senate in 2006.
Most recently, in September 2014, he lost the GOP primary against New Castle County Councilwoman Janet Kilpatrick, 1,475 votes to 796.
It remains unclear why Protack sent the threats, though prosecutors said in a June 2021 court hearing that he had been “hostile” to his ex-wife’s divorce attorney since 2018, when the divorce proceedings began.
MORE:Failed Delaware GOP candidate pleads guilty to mailing death threats to ex-wife’s attorney
Protack also threatened to kill his wife when they were still married, according to court documents.
She had received a protection from abuse order against him, court documents say, but Protack violated the order within a week. At one point, he called her 16 times in a four-hour timespan, prosecutors said.
After handing down the sentence Tuesday, the federal judge called Protack’s actions a “campaign of terror,” citing his attempts to hide his identity. The judge also called Protack’s crime a “very serious offense.”
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