Nathanael Michael West, 28, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for threatening a federal judge and a federal prosecutor. The sentencing took place on July 31, 2025. West will also serve three years of supervised release after his prison term. This sentence will be served consecutively to two previous sentences from 2020 and 2022 related to similar offenses in the District of Idaho.
Court records show that in October 2022, West was sentenced for mailing threatening communications to three state prosecutors. While serving a state sentence for burglary at an Idaho prison in February 2023, he sent a letter containing graphic threats to Assistant United States Attorney David Robins, who had prosecuted him previously. In March 2023, less than two weeks later, West sent another threatening letter to Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye, who had sentenced him months earlier.
A federal grand jury indicted West on August 14, 2024, on four counts: mailing threatening communications; threatening to assault, kidnap or murder a federal law enforcement officer with intent to retaliate; and threatening to assault or murder a United States Judge with intent to retaliate. On July 31, 2025, West pleaded guilty to all charges.
“The 96-month sentence in this case is appropriate and justified, reflecting the seriousness, brazen, and violent nature of the defendant’s persistent threats,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “The defendant’s deliberate actions were not only incredibly personal to the victims in this case, but they were also an assault on the integrity of the criminal justice system.”
Because of conflicts within the local office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho recused itself from handling this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas H. Edmonds from Oregon was appointed as Special Attorney to prosecute the case under direction from senior Department of Justice officials.
U.S. Attorney Bradford acknowledged the FBI’s role in conducting the investigation.
