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NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans today announced Russell Vennell, age 59, of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, was charged on July 1, 2021 in a one-count indictment by a federal Grand Jury with making threatening phone calls in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 875(c).

According to previously filed court documents, on June 13, 2021, at approximately 2:08 a.m., a person called the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC 20036, from a telephone number found to be subscribed to Vennell. The caller stated that he was going to kill S.H., a person employed by the Brooking Institution at the time of the call. The subject later left a voicemail, at the Brookings Institution, reiterating the previous threat he made to kill S.H.  Vennell was arrested on June 18, 2021 by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of a defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, Vennell faces a maximum penalty of five (5) years imprisonment, followed by up to three (3) years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee based on the charge outlined in the indictment.

This case is being investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory M. Kennedy.