The FBI arrested an Ohio man who allegedly threatened to kill US Representative Randy Fine (R-FL), the US Justice Department announced in a statement on Tuesday.
The suspect, 26-year-old Alex Justin Miller of Columbus, Ohio, was charged with interstate transmission of a threat to injure. According to the DOJ, Miller sent a "true threat" to Fine, threatening to kill the congressman and his family in an email dated August 18, the day of Fine's primary election.
"I cannot wait to take a trip to your lovely home and light the whole place on fire and murder you and your entire family in the middle of the night while you sleep," Miller allegedly wrote.
The email further called Fine a "Nazi," and encouraged him to "sleep with one eye open " because Miller would "never stop until [his] head is hanging from the rooftops of the White House."
"DEATH TO RANDY FINE AND DEATH TO DONALD TRUMP!!!," the email concluded.
If convicted, Miller faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint filed, Fine and his family were in Florida at the time of the threat.
Fine thanked law enforcement, US attorneys after Miller's arrest
Fine expressed gratitude to the US Attorney's Office of Middle Florida, the FBI, Capitol Police, and local law enforcement in a post to X/Twitter on Tuesday.
If they think this will make me afraid, they are wrong," he wrote.
"There is no place in our political system for this. And those who make these threats, whether to a Republican or Democrat, will go to prison for a very long time."
According to Fine, three other people had previously been prosecuted for making death threats against the congressman.
Fine is currently serving his first term in Congress and was endorsed by US President Donald Trump and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Earlier in August, Fine defeated influencer Dan Bilzerian in the GOP primary for Florida's sixth district.
During Bilzerian's primary campaign, the poker player known for his antisemitic rhetoric invoked Adolf Hitler as well as what he called the district's "Jewish problem."
Bilzerian had accrued just 18% of the vote when the race was called by the Associated Press.
Sharon Udasin contributed to this report.