TAMPA, Fla. – A Florida dentist admitted Monday to sending more than 100 violent threats to public figures and an election official over a span of several years, pleading guilty in federal court to four counts of interstate transmission of a threat.
Richard Glenn Kantwill, 61, targeted over 40 victims from September 2019 to July 2020, sending threatening messages via Facebook, Instagram, email, and text. Court records show his threats included one to an author via email, another to a religious leader by text, and one to a television personality through Instagram. From April 2022 to April 2024, he sent at least seven additional threats, including one to an election official on February 9, 2024, in another state.
The case, investigated by the FBI, is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, established to address rising threats of violence against election workers. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said Kantwill’s guilty plea underscores the Department’s efforts to hold those who endanger public servants accountable. “The Justice Department will not stand for threats of violence that endanger people’s safety and endanger our democracy,” Garland said.
Kantwill faces up to five years in prison for each of the four counts. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled, and the final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge.
The threats prompted a multi-agency response led by the FBI and included the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Middle District of Florida and the District of Colorado. Officials say this case highlights ongoing efforts to combat intimidation and violence targeting election workers and other public figures.