() Federal judges are speaking out after receiving unsolicited pizza orders sent to them as a means of intimidation, according to The Washington Post.
These deliveries, which reportedly began increasing in February and escalated last year, have targeted judges overseeing high-profile cases, particularly those challenging the Trump administration’s policies.
The U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI are investigating these incidents, which appear to be coordinated. Former U.S. Marshal John Muffler emphasized the intimidation’s intent to threaten judges and their families, noting the 2020 murder of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas’s son.
Muffler believes arrests would deter future threats, though he acknowledges that complete prevention is unlikely.
“This is intimidation towards the judicial branch at its simplest form,” Muffler told ” Now.”
“My understanding from talking to some of my sources is that this obviously has been ongoing for a while, and it really picked up this year,” he added.
The former U.S. Marshal said his ex-colleagues would be trying to obtain addresses of the perpetrators by tracking IP addresses and phone numbers.
“I don’t know if it’s a group or singles or an individual, but they have a clear understanding of what’s happening, how it’s happening, happening through apps, apps that maybe they (don’t think can) be tracked back,” he added.
