BALTIMORE: A Maryland man was sentenced to two years in jail today, along with three years of supervised release, for calling for crimes against the LGBTQI+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C.
Adam Michael Nettina, 34, of West Friendship, allegedly sent threatening texts to Maryland and Virginia state members due to their support of transgender people, according to the information presented by the authorities at yesterday’s sentencing hearing.
According to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, this defendant “targeted and threatened LGBTQI+ group members and their allies, instilling fear and promoting crime toward a heavily targeted community.” The Justice Department’s dedication to preventing threats against public officials and protected communities is emphasized in this sentence. We will work hard to eradicate the growing threat posed by biased acts of violence committed against the LGBTQ+ community and their allies.
“You are entitled to your own opinions, but you are not permitted to put those who disagree with you in danger. Violence against others is not protected by free speech, as this case shows,” said Maryland District Attorney Erek L. Barron. “We’ll keep pursuing these charges to the fullest extent permitted by law.”
Acting Special Agent R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI Baltimore Field Office stated, “Violent threats made against individuals and organizations to instill fear will not be tolerated.” “The FBI will continue its diligent work to protect everyone’s legal rights in the United States.”
A phone number that investigators determined to be Nettina’s sent the target firm a threatening voice message on the evening of March 28, 2023, according to court records.
The message made reference to the mass shooting that occurred on March 27, 2023, at a school in Nashville, Tennessee, which resulted in numerous fatalities. Police identified the shooter as a transgender woman. Many threats, including “…we’ll slit your throats,” were made during the call. “You’re going to kill us? We’ll put a gun to your head. In full, we’re going to shoot you ten times more.”
Nettina admitted that he had left this phone message with the intention of making a threat and knowing that it would be taken as such. He purposefully chose the advocacy organization as the target of his message due to the actual and perceived identity, gender identity, and sexual orientation of those who work for and receive assistance from the organization.
A Maryland State Delegate posted a message of support in support of Trans Day of Visibility on social media on March 31, 2022, as specified in his plea deal. Later that evening, Nettina responded on social media, claiming, among other things, that he had “begun the formal process of getting you excommunicated” from the Catholic Church. The representative was reelected on Nov. 8, 2022. On social media, Nettina sent the delegate a second message that read: “…Baby-killing terrorist. Enjoy hell, you’re going there sooner than you realize.”
Lastly, as stated in the court documents, a Virginia State Delegate’s interview in which she argued for preventing the abuse of transgender kids was the subject of an online media story that was published on October 13, 2022.
Nettina wrote in an email to his press email account two days later, on October 15, 2022, “The member is a criminal. You are a criminal. You deserve to be shot and hanged. You want to persecute people, right? Let’s get serious.” Two days after, Nettina also sent a similar message to the delegate’s alternate email address.
Nettina purposefully chose the delegate and her campaign team as the recipients of his email due to the actual and perceived gender, gender identity, and sexual preference of the people and electorate for whom the delegate had expressed support.
The case was investigated by the FBI Baltimore Field Office.
