LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Louis Damato, 47, of Las Vegas, made his initial appearance today in connection with federal charges for allegedly making threats to assault and murder a Nevada U.S. Representative, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Aaron C. Rouse for the FBI.

As alleged in the complaint, on March 16, 2020, the office of U.S. Representative Dina Titus in Washington, D.C., received a threatening voicemail stating in pertinent part: “… I bought a f*cking gun ok I’m coming to DC to blow your f*cking head off!” Later that day, U.S. Capitol Police determined that the phone that left the threatening voicemail belonged to Damato. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department located Damato at a hotel casino, where he was arrested and read his Miranda rights. Damato allegedly admitted that he had been calling Representative Titus’ office for several days, and that he left the threatening message on the morning of March 16, 2020.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Albregts on April 17, 2020.

If convicted, Damato faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the threatening to assault and murder a public official charge and five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the interstate threats charge.

The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only. If convicted of the offense, the sentencing of a defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct for purposes of establishing probable cause, not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Dickinson is prosecuting the case.

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Department of JusticeOffice of the U.S. AttorneyDistrict of NevadaSource: Justice.gov