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Jimmy Williams
A California man, Mark Schultz, 66, from Chula Vista, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta for threatening Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia on Friday.
Schultz, indicted on April 24, made his initial court appearance in California and will be arraigned in Atlanta in June, according to the Department of Justice. Court documents revealed that Schultz repeatedly made threatening comments on YouTube livestream videos in October, including one stating that Willis “will be killed like a dog.”
The indictment outlined further threats by Schultz, including one that read, “FANI WILLIS WILL BE DEAD IN 2024,” along with other threats using racial slurs. Willis leads one of the major criminal cases against former President Donald Trump, charging him with felony racketeering and conspiracy for efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. She has faced racist threats since her office began the investigation.
Keri Farley, the FBI’s Atlanta field office special agent in charge, emphasized the seriousness of threats against government officials, stating that they threaten the foundation of democracy.
Willis responded to the threats in a statement, referencing GOP state Sen. Bill Cowsert’s questioning of whether an elected African American female district attorney deserves protection from death threats.
“On the same day Senator Bill Cowsert had the audacity to question whether an elected African American female District Attorney deserves protection from death threats, the United States Attorney and the FBI announced another indictment of someone who threatened my life,” Willis said in the statement.
She added, “I thank US Attorney Ryan Buchanan, his staff and the FBI for believing the life of an African American elected official has value and for their diligent efforts in ensuring the safety of myself, my staff, and our families.”
In recent months, Willis has faced scrutiny due to her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor hired by her office for the Trump case. Attorneys for Trump and his co-defendants accused Willis of financially benefiting from her relationship with Wade. However, in March, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled that Willis could continue prosecuting the case, albeit without collaborating with Wade, who subsequently resigned from the case.
