Far-right extremist from Queens convicted of threatening to kill Democratic lawmakers
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Ridgewood resident Brendan Hunt was convicted of threatening to murder members of Congress after he cheered on Capitol riots and called for the “slaughter” of Democratic lawmakers. AP Photo by John Minchillo
By David Brand
A rightwing radical from Ridgewood was convicted Wednesday of threatening to murder members of Congress after he posted a series of blood-thirsty rants on social media in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Brendan Hunt, a 37-year-old court employee, threatened to “slaughter” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Chuck Schumer and other Democratic lawmakers during and after far-right extremists stormed into the U.S Capitol and killed police officers.
A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Hunt, who goes by “X-Ray Ultra,” of threatening to assault and murder members of Congress and a slew of other offenses. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he returns to court for sentencing June 22.
Hunt did not participate in the fatal raid on Jan. 6 and instead cheered on the extremists from back home in Queens. Two days later, he urged far-right ideologues to ramp up the rampage after Donald Trump’s landslide electoral defeat.
“[W]e need to go back to the U.S. Capitol when all of the Senators and a lot of the Representatives are back there, and this time we have to show up with our guns. And we need to slaughter these m-----f---,” he said in a video posted on the video-sharing site BitChute.
Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Lesko said Hunt’s murderous screeds crossed the line from free speech to the incitement of violence.
“The defendant is now a convicted felon, not for his repugnant, racist rants, but because he threatened to attack and kill members of Congress to prevent them from carrying out their constitutional duties, and that is a federal crime,” Lesko said.
Before his arrest, Hunt worked as an assistant court analyst in the Office of Court Administration’s attorney registration unit, based on Beaver Street in Manhattan. FBI agents apprehended him at his Gates Avenue home Jan. 19 after becoming aware of his social media threats.
A jury returned the guilty verdict after a week-long trial.
Hunt’s personal website included white supremacist and anti-Semitic posts and videos. Social media records introduced in court showed Hunt’s history of threats against Democratic lawmakers even before the Capitol riot.
“Trump, we want actual revenge on democrats. Meaning, we want you to hold a public execution of pelosi aoc schumer etc. And if you dont do it, the citizenry will. We're not voting in another rigged election. Start up the firing squads, mow down these commies, and lets take america back!” he wrote on Facebook Dec. 6 under his “X-Ray Ultra” alias.
His attorneys had sought to frame the threats as nothing more than angry bluster protected by the First Amendment.
“Without seeking to undermine the seriousness of the allegations of the complaint, there is no allegation that he has use or ownership of weapons, militia membership, friends in DC or some contact with federal officials,” said lawyer Leticia Olivera, of the Federal Defenders, at a bail hearing Jan. 19.
