Kenai resident Arther Graham was arrested Monday on allegations that he sent threatening emails to a sitting U.S. senator.
According to a Wednesday release from the United States Attorney’s Office District of Alaska, Graham, 46, is facing charges of making interstate threats to kidnap and injure a current U.S. senator. The senator is not identified.
An affidavit by Capitol Police Special Agent Austin Hunter, included with charging documents and dated for Oct. 27, says Graham sent emails to an unnamed senator via the submission form on the senator’s website on Sept. 28. Congressional staff notified Capitol Police on Oct. 2, and shared an email in which the sender says they’re being evicted from their home.
The sender, alleged to be Graham, wrote the “plan” is to “hunt” the senator. Identifying information sent with the email was connected to Graham, the affidavit says.
The affidavit says Graham was interviewed Oct. 10 by two agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
According to the affidavit, he admitted to sending the email and “stated that he knew sending the message was against the law.”
Graham was arrested on Monday, the release says, by special agents from the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI. The case is being investigated by them as well as the Kenai Police Department and Alaska State Troopers.
Alaska State Troopers said Wednesday that they “assisted our federal law enforcement partners.” Kenai Police Department said they were present at the arrest, but did not otherwise participate in the investigation.
If convicted, Graham faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, the release says.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
