Man charged over death threat to Trump prosecutor, judge

By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Nevada man has been charged with making a death threat against the prosecutor who secured Donald Trump's criminal conviction and the judge who oversaw the former U.S. president's trial, according to court records and a person familiar with the case.

Spencer Gear was charged in Nevada federal court on July 16 with 22 counts of making threats to kill or injure officials, including making a call to New York threatening to kill two individuals referred to as "A.B." and "J.M."

The indictment did not name the targets, but a person familiar with the case said the initials referred to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Justice Juan Merchan. Bragg in 2023 brought the first-ever charges against a U.S. president, past or present, and Merchan oversaw the six-week trial.

Gear pleaded not guilty and was ordered detained at a Las Vegas court hearing on Tuesday, records show. Gear's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump, the Republican nominee for president in the Nov. 5 election, was convicted on May 30 on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money paid to a porn star before the 2016 election. He has vowed to appeal the verdict following his Sept. 18 sentencing.

Trump's rhetoric attacking the judges and prosecutors in his various criminal and civil cases has inspired widespread calls for violence, according to a May 14 Reuters special report.

A 20-year-old gunman tried to assassinate Trump during a July 13 political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounding Trump in the ear. The shooter's motive is still unclear.

(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Alistair Bell)