Montco Man Who Fired Shots at County Democratic HQ Sentenced to Federal Prison

Eagleville resident Anthony Francis Nero, 48, was sentenced by a federal judge on Thursday to three years and one month in prison for threatening communications and cyberstalking in connection with a shooting at the Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters on Inauguration Day last year, according to the United States Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Nero will be on three years of supervised release as well.

In January, Nero pleaded guilty to the charges before U.S. District Judge Karen S. Marston. The FBI, Norristown Police Department, Montgomery County Detective Bureau, Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, and the Pennsylvania State Police assisted in the investigation.

On Jan. 20, 2021, Norristown Police were dispatched at 4:38 p.m. to the Montgomery County Democratic Committee Office at 21 E. Airy Street in Norristown for a report of gun shots having been fired into the office. Brian Levy, executive director of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee, told officers he had just arrived at the office and found three bullet holes in the office’s front window. Two of the three projectiles were retrieved by officers from a desk inside the office and were determined to have come from a .45-caliber handgun.

That gunfire occurred less than two weeks after the Democratic Committee had received a threatening email on Jan. 7, 2021, which Levy had also reported to Norristown Police.

The email read, verbatim:

“Comment 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. F*** you and your BLM bullshit along with ANTIFA. We WILL end this insurrection. Again, TRUMP YOU! You f***ing traitors. Random acts of violence are difficult to investigate. Have fun.” (Note: expletives altered.)

A month later, Nero admitted his crimes to Norristown Police during an interrogation. Ballistic tests of Nero’s .45-caliber pistol found that two spent rounds recovered from the scene were fired from Nero’s pistol. Nero was subsequently arrested and charged in March 2020 and remained in federal custody.

U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said Nero’s actions could have resulted in catastrophic injury or worse.

“I want to thank our partners in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and all agencies at the federal, state and local levels for their dedicated work on this case,” Williams said in a press release.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting Nero. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vineet Gauri and Josh Davison.

“There is no place for this kind of criminal behavior in our democracy, and our law enforcement will continue to stand together to make sure that those who act in this way are brought to justice,” Steele said.

Nero was initially charged with Terrorism, Terroristic Threats, Carrying a Firearm Without a License and Recklessly Endangerment.

See also:

Montco Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting at County Democratic Headquarters

Federal Agents Take Accused Montco Terrorist into Custody, New Charges to Be Unsealed Friday

Accused Montco Domestic Terrorist Gets Bailed Out, Facebook Account Removed Short Time Later

Man Charged With Domestic Terrorism In Connection With Shots Fired Incident At MCDC Headquarters

Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters Struck By Gunfire On Inauguration Day