U.S. DoJ says man in North Carolina charged with threatening Biden

[February 12, 2021]    (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday that a man in North Carolina was charged with threatening President Joe Biden.

President Joe Biden clasps his hands while addressing NIH staff as National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Francis Collins listens listens during Biden's visit to NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S., February 11, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

A federal criminal complaint against David Kyle Reeves, 27, was unsealed in federal court on Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Andrew Murray said.

The charge of making a threat against a U.S. president carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.

Reeves, who was arrested last week, contacted the White House switchboard via telephone multiple times and made threats against Biden and others, according to allegations in the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint.

Following a court hearing on Thursday, U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Keesler ordered that Reeves remain in custody, the DoJ said.

(Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)

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