Man who threatened Reid gets two years

Jace Radke

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2002 | 9:45 a.m.

A man who pleaded guilty to sending threatening letters to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., was sentenced to two years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pro on Monday.

Milton Thomas Black, 62, was ordered not to contact Reid and other public figures threatened in the letters unless he gets approval from his probation officer. In addition Black will serve three years of probation, and Pro will recommend that he serves his prison time at a facility equipped to give him a full mental evaluation.

Black was arrested in January and charged with transmitting threatening interstate communication, and in June he pleaded guilty to two counts of mailing threatening letters.

According to court records, from October to December 2001, Black mailed and faxed threatening communications to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., among others.

In one letter, sent to both Reid and Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, a threat was made against Reid and CNN talk show host Larry King.

The letters complained about being ignored by government officials, and the letter sent to Reid and Owens states that no one would pay attention to information the letter writer said he had in the JonBenet Ramsey homicide investigation.

The letters were signed by a "Sergeant Black," and one of the letters had a return address for an M.T. Black at the Campaige Place apartment complex, 211 N. Eighth St. A Metro Police detective confirmed on Christmas Eve that Milton Thomas Black had lived at the address and notified Capitol Police.

Investigators with Capitol Police said that the handwriting on Black's armed forces identification card and his Nevada ID appeared to match the writing in the letters.

Black told Pro that he felt ignored by those he was writing to, and apologized for sending the letters.

"I spent more than two years trying to help some people with a special investigation, and I kept writing and writing, but no one paid attention," Black said. "I got frustrated and I went too far. I'm sorry I sent those letters."