United States Capitol

CONCORD — Ryder Winegar, the 34-year-old Amherst man arrested in January on charges accusing him of threatening to hang members of Congress if they didn’t “get behind Donald Trump,” and threatening to “pull a N.H. state representative from his bed and hang him,” has agreed to plead guilty to seven charges, according to federal authorities.

Winegar, whose most recent address is 35 Juniper Drive, entered guilty pleas to six charges alleging he left voicemails for several members of Congress in which he threatened to hang them if they didn’t back Trump.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting interstate threatening communications, which accuses him of threatening the state representative, whom authorities have not identified.

Winegar, who has been incarcerated since his January arrest, is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1 in federal court in Concord.

Acting U.S. Attorney John J. Farley said in announcing the plea agreement that Winegar’s threats to commit acts of violence against members of Congress went well beyond protected speech and the freedom of “political expression.”

Instead, such threats “constitute serious federal crimes,” Farley said. “By threatening to kill members of Congress and a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, this defendant sought to intimidate public officials. As this prosecution demonstrates, such conduct is not acceptable and will not be tolerated,” Farley added.

A federal grand jury in February indicted Winegar on the seven counts.

Authorities arrested Winegar, who is reportedly a U.S. Navy veteran, on Jan. 11, following investigations by District of Columbia and federal agents into the political unrest following the presidential election, which eventually culminated in the Jan. 6 attack by mobs of insurrectionists upon the U.S. Capitol.

Investigators have not tied Winegar to the insurrection, nor have they accused him of being involved in the “rally” that preceded the Capitol attack.

In February, Nashua attorney Charles Keefe, who was representing Winegar, told news outlets that the allegations “were not connected to the violence that took place at the U.S. Capitol.

“There are no allegations, and we are in possession of no information, that the allegations against Mr. Winegar are in any way connected to the events of Jan. 6 …,” Keefe said in a statement.

Nor is there anything to suggest that Winegar “was even present in Washington, D.C.” on Jan. 6, he added.

At the time the indictments were handed up, then-U.S. Attorney Scott Murray said Winegar left the voicemails at the lawmakers’ offices on Dec. 16-17. In some cases, Winegar allegedly identified himself by name or left his phone number.

The contents of the voicemails Winegar allegedly left “threatened to hang the members of Congress … if they did not ‘get behind Donald Trump.'”

In one instance, Murray said, Winegar allegedly said, “I got some advice for you. Here’s the advice: Donald Trump is your president. If you don’t get behind him, we’re going to hang you until you die.”

Two days earlier, according to one of the indictments, Winegar contacted the unidentified New Hampshire state representative and allegedly threatened “to pull him from his bed and hang him.”

Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, agreed with Farley that Winegar’s statements and threats are not protected speech.

“Ryder Winegar crossed a line when he threatened to hang six members of Congress, and a New Hampshire state lawmaker, if they didn’t conform to his beliefs,” Bonavolonta said.

“His actions, which he has admitted to, are crimes, not protected speech. The FBI will ensure individuals who engage in criminal conduct with the intent of harming our public servants are held accountable,” he added.

Involved in investigating the case were representatives of the U.S. Capitol Police, the United States Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and members of the Amherst Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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