Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Documents reveal threats to officials
Worcester man remains in custody accused of shooting into county Democratic offices
PHILADELPHIA >> Weeks before he allegedly emailed threats to and fired gunshots at the Montgomery County Democratic Committee headquarters in Norristown, a Worcester man “was encouraging and planning acts of violence against public and political officials,” according to court papers filed by federal prosecutors.
Court filings show An- thony Francis Nero was discussing violent acts in his social media posts on Parler, a conservative friendly social network, in the weeks leading up to Jan. 20 when he allegedly fired gunshots into the unoccupied Democratic headquarters on Airy Street in the middle of the night.
In numerous posts Nero allegedly wrote, “Now it’s time to take out a high profile target…bands of heavily armed Patriots are gonna [sic] start going around and indiscriminately kill Democrats and burn their offices to the ground…They want war, we’ll give it to them…Violence is the only answer.”
“There is overwhelming evidence of the defendant’s violent and unstable conduct towards those whom he views as his political opponents. For months, through his social media posts, the defendant has been encouraging acts of violence against public and political officials in Pennsylvania and elsewhere,” federal prosecutors wrote in papers filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vineet Gauri and Josh A. Davison argued Nero’s willingness to follow through on his threats “by repeatedly and recklessly” firing his handgun into the local Democratic headquarters “demonstrates that he is a danger to the community.”
“Indeed, his actions were not spontaneous; he had been planning this shooting for weeks,” the prosecutors alleged.
Federal prosecutors outlined Nero’s alleged social media communications in court papers to argue against releasing Nero from jail before his trial.
“I would hope that a lifetime of good deeds would not be overshadowed by some angry social media posts made during a difficult time in his life and that of our nation,” defense lawyer Timothy Woodward said on Thursday when asked to comment about Nero’s posts.
A federal judge ultimately ordered that Nero, 48, of the 2600 block of Bean Road, remain in federal detention pending his trial on charges of threatening communications and cyberstalking in connection with alleged incidents that occurred between Jan. 8 and Jan. 20 at the Democratic headquarters in Norristown.
Court papers revealed Nero targeted Gov. Tom Wolf, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro and President Joe Biden, all Democrats, with his vitriolic comments on social media.
Investigators uncovered an October 2020 video from Nero’s Facebook account in which Nero repeatedly fires a handgun at several plastic buckets atop a washing machine while stating, “(Expletive) Joe Biden,” according to court papers.
“The government has obtained Nero’s recent social media posts on Parler, which make it clear that, as early as December 2020, he was encouraging and planning acts of violence against public and political officials,” prosecutors wrote.
Court documents indicate that as federal investigators took a deeper dive inside Nero’s cell phone and his web browser history, they uncovered evidence of what they characterized as Nero’s “violent and unstable behavior” during the weeks leading up to the incident at the Democratic headquarters in Norristown.
According to court documents, investigators uncovered the following alleged posts:
• On Dec. 12, Nero posted, “Now it’s time to take out a high profile target. New headline: ‘AG Shapiro shot and killed in Harrisburg, PA by vigilante’ would make my new year.”
• On Dec. 12, Nero also posted, “I still think it’s time to take out a high profile traitor like Governor Wolf or AG Shapiro, et al. We The People can send a clear and distinct message…one everyone understands. When George Soros is shot dead in the street, everyone will understand.”
• On Dec. 14, Nero posted, “Yup, [sic] means all Democratic offices can now be burned to the ground with impunity. Look on the bright side. We’ll be able to roam through America and kill the Communists.”
• On Dec. 14, Nero also posted, “Don’t be surprised if the next article to read about Supreme Court ‘justices’ is in the obituary section.”
• On Dec. 18, Nero posted, “This is coming to America…bands of heavily armed Patriots are gonna [sic] start going around and indiscriminately kill Democrats and burn their offices to the ground. Just wait and see. It’s gonna [sic] get ugly.”
• On Jan. 8, 2021, two days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Nero posted, in part, “VIOLENCE WORKS. Time to start killing some Biden supporters.”
• On Jan. 8, Nero also posted, “I’ve been saying this since last spring that violence is the only language that people understand. Until we begin speaking their language everything falls on deaf ears. It’s time to target some Biden supporters and some BLM offices etc. Just start killing people indiscriminantly [sic]. They want war, we’ll give it to them.”
• On Jan. 8, Nero also posted, “Violence is the only answer. Let’s just go down to DC and start killing Capitol police. :D”
Prosecutors alleged that on Jan. 6, “emboldened by the violence at the U.S. Capitol,” Nero stated in a Facebook message, “I’m going to go find a local Democrat Office and shoot it up. LOL.”
The investigation of Nero began on Jan. 8, when Norristown police received information that a threatening email, submitted under the name “Silent Majority,” was received the day before at the Democratic Committee headquarters located at 21 E. Airy St., according to the original criminal complaint filed by Norristown detectives.
The email read: “Just wanted to let your offices know that you should probably beef up security. With this stolen election and coup d’etat, violence is the only language you bloodsuckers understand. (Expletive) you and your BLM (expletive) along with ANTIFA. We WILL end this insurrection. Again, TRUMP YOU!! You (expletive) traitors. Random acts of violence are difficult to investigate. Have fun.”
Officials at the Democratic offices told police they didn’t know who submitted the email and “expressed concerns for the safety of the building and employees” in light of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to the criminal complaint.
As the investigation into the source of the email was underway, at 4:38 p.m. Jan. 20, Norristown police responded to the Democratic headquarters after a party official reported arriving there and discovering bullet holes in the front window.
Police observed “three bullet holes in the front window of the office” and were able to retrieve two projectiles from a desk that was located inside near the window, according to the previously filed arrest affidavit.
Investigators subsequently determined the projectiles were fired from a .45-caliber handgun.
No one was injured during the shooting and the office reportedly was unoccupied at the time of the gunfire.
With help from the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police and county detectives, investigators traced the internet address related to the Jan. 7 email to Nero’s residence and cell phone. A firearms check also revealed that Nero was the owner of a .45-caliber handgun, court papers indicate.
On Feb. 17, detectives, armed with a search warrant, made contact with Nero in the area of the 200 block of West DeKalb Pike. At that time, Nero allegedly told detectives the firearm was located in the cargo area of his 1999 Lexus RX 300 vehicle.
Detectives found a tactical bag in the cargo area and inside located a .45-caliber Springfield Armory 1911-A1 firearm in a brown leather holster, according to court documents. The weapon was found in the “cocked” position, loaded with one round in the chamber and five additional rounds in the magazine, detectives alleged.
During an interview by investigators, Nero admitted to emailing the threatening comment to the Democratic Committee and also admitted to firing his gun into the committee headquarters three times as he drove by the office during the late evening hours, according to the criminal complaint.
Nero stated that he fired the rounds into the building “because I am going through a stressful time in my life losing my family this whole COVID thing shutting down the country the abundant evidence available relating to the theft of the election,” according to the original arrest affidavit.
Nero originally had been charged by Norristown detectives with terroristic threats, terrorism, firearms not to be carried without a license and recklessly endangering other persons in connection with the alleged incidents. However, Nero was taken into custody by federal agents on March 3 when he showed up at a Norristown courtroom for what was supposed to be his preliminary hearing on the original county charges.
Montgomery County prosecutors withdrew the county charges after federal authorities took possession of the case.
If convicted of the federal charges, Nero faces a maximum possible sentence of 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.