A self-proclaimed white supremacist “reverend” was arrested last Thursday on charges that he made online threats toward the jury and witnesses in the trial of Robert Bowers, who was sentenced to death earlier this month for the murder of 11 Jewish worshipers in the October 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
A U.S. Justice Department statement said 45 year-old Hardy Carroll Lloyd, of Follansbee, West Virginia, made “threatening social media posts, website comments, and emails towards the jury and witnesses during the trial,” and also “placed or had others place stickers in predominantly Jewish areas of Pittsburgh, directing people to the website containing his threats and antisemitic messages.”
“Jury trials are a hallmark of the American justice system and attempts to intimidate witnesses or jurors will be met with a strong response,” U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld stated. “The use of hateful threats in an effort to undermine a trial is especially troubling.”
“The safety and security of all citizens in our communities is a priority for the FBI,” FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall commented. “Threats of violence used to intimidate or influence a community or jury cannot and will not be tolerated. The FBI makes it a priority to investigate crimes based on religious bias. In this case, the Jewish community was specifically targeted by these threats. I want to thank the community for sharing information that helped lead to today’s arrest.”
Lloyd was charged for obstruction of the due administration of justice, transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce, and witness tampering, and he faces up to 10 years in prison for the obstruction charge, up to five years for the threats charge, and up to 20 years for the tampering charge.
On Wednesday, Robert Bowers, the white supremacist gunman who killed 11 Jewish worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, was unanimously sentenced to death by a federal jury.
May the memory of the victims forever be a source of strength as we continue to… pic.twitter.com/vAoVK8Ehnc
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) August 2, 2023
