Ilhan Omar Asks Judge For 'Compassion' In Sentencing Man Who Threatened Her Life

Sarah Ruiz-Grossman

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) wants a man who threatened to shoot her to be treated with “compassion” in sentencing, per a letter she wrote to the judge in his case.

On Tuesday, Omar released a letter she wrote to District Judge Frank Geraci in New York, who is presiding over the case of Patrick Carlineo, a 55-year-old man who pleaded guilty Monday to threatening to kill Omar.

“I write to ask for a system of compassion in [Carlineo’s] sentencing,” Omar wrote. The congresswoman, who became one of the first Muslim women in Congress earlier this year, noted that his crime was “grave,” and that it was a “threat against an entire religion, at a time of rising hate crimes.”

Carlineo was accused of calling Omar’s office in March and telling a staffer the congresswoman was a “terrorist” and threatening to shoot her. According to the criminal complaint against him, Carlineo told federal agents when he was arrested in April that he was a patriot, he “loves” President Donald Trump and “hates radical Muslims in government.”

Omar has received a slew of death threats since she entered office, with these rising in April after Trump tweeted a video attacking her.

In her letter to the judge, Omar noted the danger of threatening public officials in a “fragile democratic system [that] rests on the peaceful election of those in power.”

“As someone who fled a war zone, I know how destabilizing acts of political violence can be,” wrote Omar, who was born in Somalia and spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the U.S. at age 12.

“But we must ask: who are we as a nation if we respond to threats of political retribution with retribution ourselves?” Omar continued, noting that a long prison sentence may not rehabilitate Carlineo, but rather may “only increase his anger and resentment.”

Omar warned that a “punitive approach” to criminal justice does not work as a deterrent to criminals, and called instead for a “restorative justice” approach, including allowing Carlineo to understand the consequences of his actions and make amends.

Carlineo’s lawyer Sonya Zoghlin told HuffPost that he was “passionate about his political beliefs and his right to express them,” adding that he’d “taken responsibility for using threatening and inappropriate language.”

“We certainly agree with Congresswoman Omar’s recommendation that he be treated with compassion, rather than retribution,” the attorney added, echoing that “greater understanding and mutual respect is not furthered by incarceration.”

Carlineo’s sentencing is set for Feb. 14. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Advocates and lawmakers have long been calling for addressing mass incarceration in the U.S., including by giving shorter sentences in many cases in order to cut down the prison population.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who is running for president, introduced a bill in July seeking to reduce the number of federal prisoners by having those with long sentences be given a “second look” to be considered for release or a reduction in sentence after 10 years.

Last week, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) proposed sweeping legislation to reform the criminal justice system, including by expanding access to restorative justice and ending the cash-bail system.

CORRECTION: This piece previously referred to Booker as a senator from New York. He represents New Jersey.

Related Coverage

New York Man Arrested Following Death Threat Against Rep. Ilhan Omar

Here Are Some Of The Death Threats Targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar

Cory Booker Wants Prisoners' Sentences To Get ‘Second Look’ After 10 Years

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting

Latest Stories

  • How to keep your holiday deliveries safe this year

    Trouble with porch pirates? Here are a few ways to keep your deliveries safe around the holidays.

  • New York film critics name 'Drive My Car' best film of 2021

    The New York Film Critics Circle on Friday named “Drive My Car,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi's intimate three-hour epic and Haruki Murakami’s short story adaptation, the best film of the year. Hamaguchi's film, about a widowed actor played by Hidetoshi Nishijima, has been widely hailed since its debut earlier in the year at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won for best screenplay. “Drive My Car,” which recently opened in limited theatrical release, is Japan's submission to the Academy Awards.

  • Authorities searching for parents of suspect in Michigan school shooting; manslaughter charges filed against them

    Jennifer and James Crumbley face involuntary manslaughter charges after prosecutors say their son fatally shot four classmates at Oxford High School.

  • Stock market news live updates: Stocks fall as traders digest mixed November jobs report, Omicron updates

    Stocks erased earlier gains to trade lower on Friday, as investors digested updates on the Omicron variant alongside the Labor Department's November jobs report, which came in mixed compared to Wall Street's elevated expectations.

  • New York man arrested after allegedly stealing a school bus, crashing into cars

    A man was arrested in Brooklyn on Thursday after he police said he stole a school bus, hit multiple vehicles and a building and fled officers.

  • DAs, retailers say California needs stronger shoplifting law

    Spurred by a recent run of large-scale smash-and-grab robberies, prosecutors and retailers are pushing back on assertions by California's governor and attorney general that they have enough tools to combat retail theft in the wake of a voter-approved easing of related laws. “We cannot function as a society where we have told people over and over again that there is no consequence for stealing other people’s property," said Vern Pierson, immediate past president of the California District Attorneys Association and El Dorado County's district attorney. “We feel a little bit like we’re under assault," California Retailers Association President and CEO Rachel Michelin said separately.

  • Climate Change Is Making Albatross Couples Split Up

    ReutersNot all relationships end in “happily ever after,” and birds are no exception. While more than 90 percent of bird species form monogamous couples, many of these will end in divorce.The reasons for splitting up are as varied in birds as they are in humans, and often revolve around things like poor compatibility or slacking off by one partner. However, new research has found a surprising cause of divorce: climate change.Like many seabirds, black-browed albatrosses form monogamous pairs that

  • George Clooney faces criticism over comments about raising children without help ‘for full year’: ‘Very brave’

    Actor shares four-year-old twins with wife Amal Clooney

  • Where is I’m a Celebrity filmed? Inside the ‘haunted’ Gwrych Castle in Wales

    Show has moved from the Australian wilderness to the freezing ruins of a castle in north Wales

  • ‘America’s Got Talent’ star Jay Jay Phillips has died from Covid-19 – reports

    The musician took part in season four of ‘America’s Got Talent’

  • EXPLAINER: 5 key takeaways from the November jobs report

    U.S. employers added just 210,000 jobs. The unemployment rate plunged from 4.6% to 4.2%, close to what economists consider full employment. In March and April 2020, employers slashed 22 million jobs — a record loss, by far — as governments ordered lockdowns and consumers hunkered down at home to avoid infection.

  • All Rep. Pressley wants for Christmas is her Mariah album

    Massachusetts congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is upset that her beloved Mariah Carey Christmas album has gone missing, but she needn't worry — she was promised a replacement copy courtesy of the five-time Grammy winner herself. Pressley was surprised by the response. Carey actually has several Christmas albums: “Merry Christmas" was released in 1994, “Merry Christmas II You” was released in 2010, as well as Christmas soundtrack albums put out in 2017 and 2020.

  • IKEA's latest wireless charger appears to be a portable model

    Bet you can't wait to buy one.

  • 'Dramatic' weather twists may end with snow in parts of Northeast

    Mother Nature can't seem to make up her mind as to whether it is autumn or winter in the Northeast. Despite the winter solstice being less than three weeks away, Americans living in different parts of the region may even have a different opinion of which season seems to be unfolding. AccuWeather forecasters say that more of the same is on the way, and that it may feel like a roller-coaster ride of weather through this weekend and into next week. Buckle up and read on to see what's on tap for the

  • Nearing 100, Betty White's life is a page-turner in new book

    A photo of Betty White, with dimpled smile and guileless gaze, fills the cover of a coffee table book arriving the month before her 100th birthday. The image evokes the genuine White, according to the book’s author, Ray Richmond. “You could make a convincing case that Betty White is the most versatile and beloved entertainer in American history,” said Richmond, whose “Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life” (becker&mayer!

  • New gallery flaunts Russia's love for US series Santa Barbara

    After fading into obscurity in United States where it was conceived, the 80s hit TV series Santa Barbara became an unlikely success in post-Soviet Russia during its pivot towards US-style capitalism.

  • My Wife Has Loved This Brand's Jeans for Years—Their Men's Line of Jeans Is Now Favorite Too

    Photo: Scouted/The Daily Beast/Madewell.My wife, Kristin has essentially lived in Madewell jeans for the past decade. Be they black, dark wash blue, pale high-waisted, wide-legged, on it goes. She wore Madewell maternity jeans when pregnant with both of our kids. When we lived in California, Madewell jeans, sandals, and a tee was her go-to outfit. Now here living just outside NYC, it’s Madewell jeans, boots, and a sweater.When I asked her why she likes the jeans so much, she said: “It’s their fi

  • A Maryland homeowner used coal to lure snakes out of her home but instead set it on fire

    When a Maryland homeowner realized her house was infested with snakes, she tried to use smoke to get them out. Instead, she set her home on fire.

  • National Guard chief gets COVID-19 after overseas trip

    The chief of the National Guard has tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from an overseas trip to visit guard troops in Europe for Thanksgiving. Gen. Dan Hokanson has been working remotely and isolating himself from contact with others all week, Guard spokesman Wayne Hall said Friday. Other U.S. officials said Hokanson is fully vaccinated and tested negative while he was abroad, but tested positive when he returned to the U.S. He left for Kosovo on Nov. 21, after making a brief refueling stop in Ireland, then traveled to Poland and Spain.

  • The AP Interview: Scientist says omicron was a group find

    The Botswana scientist who may well have discovered the omicron variant of the coronavirus says he has been on a “rollercoaster of emotions,” with the pride of accomplishment followed by dismay over the travel bans immediately slapped on southern African countries. Moyo was doing genomic sequencing of COVID-19 samples at his lab in Botswana two weeks ago and noticed three cases that seemed dramatically different, with an unusual pattern showing multiple mutations. A new coronavirus variant had been discovered, and soon the World Health Organization named it omicron.