When President Donald Trump issued his historic pardons on January 20, it marked the end of the road for nearly 1,600 individuals linked to the U.S. Capitol riot. His sweeping move effectively shut down what had been the largest federal prosecution in American history.
But despite the mass pardons, one case with ties to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack remains unresolved. That case belongs to 44-year-old Abigail Shry from Texas, who still faces the very real possibility of prison time. A federal judge in Houston has scheduled her sentencing for May 5. Shry pleaded guilty back in November to making a violent, racist threat in 2023 against U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the judge assigned to Trump’s election subversion criminal case in Washington.
A Voicemail That Sparked Legal Trouble
According to prosecutors, Shry placed a call from her hometown of Alvin, Texas, just hours after Judge Chutkan was assigned to handle Trump’s case. She allegedly left a chilling voicemail in the judge’s chambers, making threats that sent ripples through the legal system. The Justice Department detailed how Shry’s message specifically included, "threats to kill anyone who went after former President Trump." She also reportedly used a racial slur in reference to Chutkan, intensifying the severity of the situation.
Prosecutors further revealed that Shry didn’t stop there. She also left a message for a member of Congress, warning, "If President Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly." That explicit threat raised significant concerns about the rising tide of politically motivated violence and intimidation in the years following the Capitol riot.
A Confession Without Regret?
Authorities quickly traced the call back to Shry. When they arrived at her residence on August 8, 2023, she admitted the phone number associated with the threatening messages was hers. She didn’t deny making the calls but insisted she had no plans to act on her words. However, she ominously added that if the congresswoman she threatened ever came to her town, "we need to worry."
Even when questioned by federal agents, Shry remained defiant. At a hearing in May 2024, officials testified that she continued ranting against Democrats and expressed deep-seated hatred for the government.
A System Under Threat
The threats against Chutkan weren’t isolated. In the aftermath of January 6, many judges, prosecutors, and witnesses involved in cases tied to the riot faced harassment and even violent threats. Some judges noted a disturbing pattern of intimidation during sentencing hearings, underscoring the broader risks associated with these politically charged cases.
Security concerns for Judge Chutkan escalated after she took on Trump’s January 6 case. She was frequently seen with protective details in Washington, reflecting the heightened threat level. Interestingly, Trump’s case under her jurisdiction was later dismissed by special counsel Jack Smith after the 2024 election, but the hostility surrounding it hadn’t faded.
A Legal Battle with Uncertain Consequences
Shry’s case has faced multiple delays, but the stakes remain high. She could very well receive a prison sentence, though her attorney has remained tight-lipped about what penalty they will seek in court. When CBS News reached out for a comment, Shry’s legal team declined to provide any insights.
Last year, during a detention hearing, her defense attorney floated the idea of mental health and substance abuse treatment as a potential alternative to incarceration. But the Justice Department wasn’t convinced. Prosecutors argued that she posed an ongoing risk, given her history of threats. One prosecutor even bluntly told the judge in May 2024, "My greatest concern in this case is that she starts watching Fox News again, gets herself spun up, she goes out, she gets a case of beer, continues to get herself spun up. There’s no way to gauge what’s going to happen here, except to look at what she’s done in the past six months. I mean, not even a year, the past six months."
The Bigger Picture: A Surge in Threats
Shry’s case is just one example of a broader trend. Threats against federal officials have skyrocketed since January 6, 2021. U.S. Capitol Police records show that the number of threat investigations surged from 6,955 cases in 2019 to 9,474 in 2024—a staggering increase.
Federal judges and prosecutors have also found themselves in the crosshairs. Reports from the U.S. Marshals Service, the agency responsible for their security, indicate that threat investigations nearly tripled from 2019 to 2023.
A Nation at a Crossroads
As America grapples with the fallout from the January 6 attack, cases like Shry’s highlight the ongoing tensions that continue to simmer beneath the surface. Her sentencing on May 5 will not only determine her fate but also serve as a test of how the justice system handles politically fueled threats in a deeply divided nation.
With the 2024 election behind us but political tensions still running high, one thing is clear: The ripple effects of January 6 are far from over.
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