San Pedro man accused of making death threats in racist voicemail to U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters

A San Pedro man threatened to kill U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters in a voicemail filled with racist and anti-gay slurs after he became angered over her criticisms of President Trump, according to court documents.

Anthony Scott Lloyd, 44, was indicted late last week on a charge of threatening to kill Waters in a voicemail left at her Washington, D.C., office last month, prosecutors said. Lloyd, who was arrested Nov. 9, remains free in lieu of $20,000 bail.

According to an arrest affidavit, Lloyd became angered while listening to talk radio on Oct. 22 when he heard a report involving Waters making disparaging comments about Trump.

“If you continue to make threats toward the president, you’re going to wind up dead, Maxine, ’cause we’ll kill you,” Lloyd said in the voicemail, according to the affidavit.

He also used the N-word to refer to Waters and an anti-gay slur in the voicemail, according to the affidavit.

One of Waters’ staff members contacted the U.S. Capitol Police, which contacted the FBI.

An FBI agent interviewed Lloyd in San Pedro, where he lives with his grandmother, and he admitted to leaving the voicemail but swore he had no intent to actually harm Waters, according to the affidavit.

Lloyd identified himself as a “pro-president supporter” during the interview. Waters has been one of Trump’s fiercest critics on Capitol Hill.

If convicted, Lloyd faces up to 10 years in federal prison. His next court date is scheduled for Dec. 7.

A call to Lloyd’s federal public defender seeking comment was not immediately returned Monday.

Waters’ office released a statement from the congresswoman saying the episode did not provide an accurate reflection of her district, which includes a large swath of South Los Angeles and the South Bay, including the cities of Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Torrance.

“My district is very diverse, and though we don’t always agree, my constituents would never threaten me,” Waters said. “We are collectively focused on the progress, safety, and security of our communities.”

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UPDATES:

6:15 p.m.: This article was updated to add a statement from the congresswoman.

4:35 p.m.: This article was updated to add that Lloyd’s attorney did not immediately return a call for comment.

This article was originally published at 3:30 p.m.