Suspect in death threat against Kennedy Center president ordered held without bond

WASHINGTON — A Virginia man was hit with criminal charges on suspicion of threatening to kill a federal employee identified by Fox News as Richard Grenell, the interim president of the Kennedy Center and a special envoy for President Donald Trump.

Scott Allen Bolger, 33, was charged with transmitting threats in interstate commerce and making false statements, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced in a Tuesday news release.

The release did not identify Grenell as the subject of the threat, but Fox News reported that the Justice Department had relayed that Grenell was targeted. In a Tuesday night post to X, Grenell shared the Fox News story identifying him as the recipient of the threat.

“I am grateful to Pam Bondi, Kash Patel and Lindsey Halligan for finding this deranged individual and locking him up,” he said in the post.

• Add to Google

More artists cancel events at Kennedy Center after renaming

03:53

Bolger "allegedly used Google Voice, which allows a user to text message others using a phone number other than the user’s primary phone number, to send a message to a federal employee," the Justice Department's news release said, citing court documents. "In the message, Bolger allegedly threatened to kill the employee."

A court document, which likewise didn't mention Grenell by name, said the federal employee received a text message that said, “Step on U Street and get a bullet put between your eyes, loyalist pig skin pussy.”

The incident allegedly took place on Dec. 23, and on Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Fitzpatrick ordered that Bolger be held without bond pending a trial, according to a court entry.

U Street is a popular nightlife area in Washington, D.C.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘We’re going to beat you to death with audits’: Brad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump administration’s deal with Nevada fuels data center fight in governor’s race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSLatino voters reject Trump’s immigration policies — and detail the personal impact

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAs Democrats eye big midterm gains, the Wisconsin governor’s race remains a nail-biter

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. military prepares new Iran war options ahead of midterm elections

Slide 1 of 1

Bolger allegedly falsely identified himself to federal law enforcement officers when they came to his home to question him, the DOJ's release said. Bolger could ultimately face up to five years in prison, according to the release.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘We’re going to beat you to death with audits’: Brad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump administration’s deal with Nevada fuels data center fight in governor’s race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSLatino voters reject Trump’s immigration policies — and detail the personal impact

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAs Democrats eye big midterm gains, the Wisconsin governor’s race remains a nail-biter

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. military prepares new Iran war options ahead of midterm elections

Slide 1 of 1

NBC News reached out to the Justice Department and the Kennedy Center for comment. Todd Richman, Bolger's public defender, declined to comment.

U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, who serves in the district where the case is being prosecuted, said in a statement that "those who target federal employees should know that we will investigate and prosecute these offenses to the fullest extent of the law."

The alleged threat comes amid rising concerns over political violence following the killings of Charlie Kirk and Minnesota's former House Speaker Melissa Hortman. A slew of Indiana state Republicans faced threats and swatting incidents during a redistricting battle this fall, and Trump faced two assassination attempts last year.