A Northern Kentucky man has admitted to making threatening phone calls to a U.S. congressman and senator, court records show.
Benjamin Keebler, 55, of Florence, pleaded guilty on March 20 in federal court in Covington to cyberstalking and threatening communications. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop two other counts Keebler faced as part of his January indictment.
Over the span of a year, starting in February 2023, prosecutors say Keebler made a series of threatening calls to numbers associated with the congressman, who is not identified in court records. Some of those calls were to the congressman’s offices in Washington, D.C.
“Live by the gun. Die by the gun,” Keebler said in one of those calls. He also spoke to a congressional staffer, who told Keebler they intended to notify the U.S. Capitol Police. He responded by threatening to come to the congressman’s office with bear mace, prosecutors said in a court filing.
Keebler called back again and left a voicemail, saying that he had “a whole [expletive] arsenal ready” for Capitol Police. Prosecutors said Keebler intended to harass and intimidate the congressman and his staff.
He later called the Nebraska office of a U.S. senator in January 2025, according to the court documents. In a voicemail, Keebler stated, “Hey, maybe somebody needs to come to [the senator’s] house and do a … hammer visit.”
The senator was likewise not identified in court filings.
Prosecutors said Keebler made threats about lynching the congressman and also left a message with the senator, saying, “Your time is up. Your race was always a lie.”
His attorney did not immediately return a phone call from The Enquirer. State voter registration records list Keebler as an independent.
Court records state that Keebler pleaded guilty to charges carrying a punishment of up to five years in prison. He’s expected to appear in court before U.S. District Judge David Bunning for sentencing on July 30.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NKY man faces prison for threatening US congressman, senator
Reporting by Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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