RENO — A 51-year-old Reno man who told a White House operator last year he hated President Obama and intended to kill him has been sentenced to three years in federal prison.
Steven Eugene Ford faced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine after he was convicted in Reno in November of making a threat against the life of the president.
U.S. District Judge Howard McKibben sentenced him Wednesday to three years’ probation after three years in prison.
Secret Service agents said in court documents that Ford admitted he made the call to the White House around March 1 and told the operator, “I’m going to kill that president. I hate him.”
Nevada’s U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden says his office takes all threats against the president seriously and is committed to bringing anyone responsible to justice.