SerpApi.Org
An Indiana woman was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for threatening U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace last year, federal prosecutors announced.
Shayla Addison, 28, of Indianapolis, received a 27-month sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of influencing a federal official by threat, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana. Afterward, she faces three years of supervised release.
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James Sweeney II.
“No one should have to fear for their life for serving the American people," Mace, R-Charleston, said in a July 21 statement. "I receive over 1,300 credible threats a year and every single one is taken seriously. Political violence has no place in this country."
According to federal authorities in Indiana, on Jan. 15, 2025, beginning at approximately 8:53 a.m., Addison sent five text messages to the campaign phone number of an unidentified member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In a Jan. 20 press conference, Mace identified herself as the member of Congress who was targeted.
The threats included acts of violence, threatened use of a bomb and a warning to ‘Tread lightly,’ among other variations,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana said in a news release.
Addison was charged with two counts of influencing a federal official by threat. Each charge carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Addison later agreed to plead guilty to sending the messages to Mace.
Prosecutors said Addison had a history of making threats, including prior convictions for intimidation and invasion of privacy.
In 2019, she repeatedly threatened to shoot up or blow up an Indiana restaurant where her former boyfriend worked.
Four years later, police said she threatened to burn down her mother’s apartment and poured gasoline on the front steps. When officers arrived, Addison was sitting in her car with an open gas can on the front seat.
“Threats of political violence, regardless of where they come from or who is targeted, are unacceptable and constitute a serious federal crime,” U.S. Attorney Tom Wheeler said in a statement.
