BULLETIN: Vincent McCrudden Pleads Guilty To Threatening Regulators, Government Officials

BULLETIN: Vincent McCrudden, who was arrested in January amid allegations he threatened to kill 47 regulators and government officials, has pleaded guilty to two counts of transmitting threats to kill.

McCrudden, 50, faces up to 10 years in prison. He has been jailed since his arrest in New Jersey.

“Mr. McCrudden made bone-chilling and graphic threats against dozens of public officials,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer. “As this prosecution reflects, the Department of Justice will act swiftly to identify and prosecute anyone who attempts to retaliate against public officials. Public servants must be able to carry out their duties without fear of being targeted.”

On Sept. 30, prosecutors said, McCrudden sent an email to an employee of the National Futures Association (NFA) that made a death threat.

“[I]t wasn’t ever a question of ‘if’ I was going to kill you, it was just a question of when,” the email read, prosecutors said. “And now, that question has been answered. You are going to die a painful death.”

McCrudden also published an “Execution List” on his website. The list included the names of 47 current and former officials of the SEC, FINRA, NFA, and CFTC.  Included on the list were the names of the “the Chairperson of the SEC, the Chairman of the CFTC, a former Acting Chairman and Commissioner of the CFTC, the Chairman and CEO of FINRA, the former chief of Enforcement at FINRA, and other employees of the NFA and CFTC,” prosecutors said.

“[T]hese people have got to go,” McCrudden wrote, prosecutors said. “And I need your help, there are just too many for me alone.”

And McCrudden “posted a $100,000 reward on his website for personal information of several government officials and proof that those officials were punished,” prosecutors charged.

On Dec. 16, according to the complaint, McCrudden sent a CFTC official an email with a subject line of, “You corrupt mother[*!&$$%]!”

A top FBI official said such behavior would not be tolerated.

“The conduct of McCrudden was way beyond mere speech,” said Janice K. Fedarcyk, assistant director in charge of the agency’s New York office. “By his admission, he not only directly threatened to kill government and regulatory officials, but he also listed dozens of officials and offered a reward to others to kill them. This outrageous conduct is not only dangerous, but an affront to civil society.”

Fedarcyk was backed by U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch of the Eastern District of New York.

“This defendant crossed the line when he directly threatened to kill public officials who were working to keep our financial markets fair and open, and invited others to join him,” Lynch said. “He thought he could hide in the shadows of the Internet and disseminate his threats and instructions. He was wrong. This office will not tolerate, and will vigorously prosecute, those who threaten to kill men and women who dedicate their lives to public service.”