US judge orders suspect detained for threatening to kill Richard Grenell

By Fox News · Fox News

A federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday ordered the detention of a 33-year-old man charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump ally and Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell, in what Justice Department officials described as a win for the Trump administration – and for U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan. Grenell, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany, was not in court for the arraignment Tuesday afternoon, and was identified in a press release only as a "federal employee." The Justice Department identified Grenel l to Fox News Digital as the individual in question. The suspect, Scott Allen Bolger, was charged with transmitting threats in interstate commerce, and with making false statements to federal officers, who later used phone evidence to trace the threats back to him. He was arraigned in federal court in Alexandria. Justice Department officials told Fox News Digital that the decision to hold an individual in pretrial detention is somewhat rare, and described the win as a victory for the Justice Department. According to court documents, Bolger used Google Voice to send threatening messages to Grenell, including allegedly threatening to kill him. Google Voice allows users to make calls and send messages to phone numbers that are not tied to their primary devices. Bolger is also accused of lying to members of a federal task force who went to his residence in McLean to question him, falsely identifying himself as "Brian Black." If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. They also noted that Halligan, who Trump installed as U.S. attorney for EDVA earlier this year, attended the arraignment. Halligan attended the proceedings, but did not play a formal role, Fox News Digital confirmed. The Justice Department also shared a victim statement from Grenell with Fox News Digital that was read aloud in court. "In my current role as a presidential envoy, I have been attacked and harassed by people who don't know me and who simply want to leave n…