March 6, 2026 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA – A federal grand jury has indicted a Napa man for threatening violence against a senior government official.  Haddow Mills, 64, made his initial appearance in federal court on Thursday.

Image by myshoun from Pixabay 

According to the indictment filed January 28, 2026, and unsealed on Thursday, on September 25, 2025, Mills sent an email threatening to murder a Senate-confirmed federal government official in Washington, D.C. (identified in the indictment as the “Victim”).  The email stated, “I will hunt [the Victim] down and kill him.”  In the months leading up to the threat, Mills allegedly sent the Victim’s ex-spouse dozens of harassing and threatening emails, including an email that stated, “I still am hunting down [Victim’s first name].  He is a dead man walking.”  Mills allegedly sent many other emails that also contained threats against the Victim, the Victim’s ex-spouse, and their children.

United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and Acting U.S. Marshal Peter Marketos for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement.

Mills was released on bond. He is next scheduled to appear in district court on May 21, 2026, for a status conference before U.S. District Judge Rita F. Lin.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, Mills faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for transmitting an interstate communication with a threat to kidnap or injure in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 875(c). Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Moore is prosecuting the case. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service, with assistance from the Napa County Sheriff’s Office and Arlington County Police Department in Virginia.

Attachment: Mills Indictment and Penalty

Source: DOJ Release