A New Jersey man was sentenced to three years of probation Thursday after making a threatening call to a U.S. congressman last year over the official’s stance on the “gays,” according to NBC News.
Allan Poller, 24, was attending Keene State College in Keena, New Hampshire, before calling an unidentified member of the House of Representatives in March of 2023 and threatening to put a “bullet to your fucking head” if the representative kept “on coming for the gays.” Poller pleaded guilty to the charge of using interstate commerce to transmit a threat of injury in October and was sentenced to three years of probation and a fine of $500 in federal court, according to NBC News.
“[Poller] has used the catastrophic effect of his actions as a catalyst to begin a new path in his life,” his attorney wrote in a sentencing memorandum, NBC News reported. “He has strengthened his bond with his family and has completely accepted recovery into his life.”
Poller claimed that he was “emotional and intoxicated” when he made the call after watching videos on TikTok. He also argued that despite his threats, he did not own any firearms.
“Hi, my name is Allan Poller, A-L-L-A-N P-O-L-L-E-R, phone number []8931,” Poller said in the voicemail message. “And I just want to let you know, Representative [Name], if you keep on coming for the gays, we’re gonna strike back and I guarantee you, you do not want to fuck with us,” he said, according to the press release. “We will kill you if that’s what it takes. I will take a bullet to your fucking head if you fuck with my rights anymore. And then if you want to keep going down that path, you know who’s next.”
The prosecution and Poller’s attorney favored probation, with the former noting that the former college student had “faced dramatic challenges in his life but had no prior contacts with the criminal justice system” and “has also already faced significant consequences as a result of his conduct, arrest, and plea in this case,” according to NBC News.
Kate Anderson on January 19, 2024
