A Minneapolis LGBTQ proponent has been sentenced to five months in prison after pleading guilty to threatening to murder a congresswoman last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota announced last week.
Michael Paul Lewis, 53, was sentenced before Judge Jerry W. Blackwell to a five-month term, which will be followed by one year of supervised release.
According to facts presented in court documents, on March 23, 2025, Lewis called the office of an unnamed United States congressperson and left a message threatening to kill the congressperson. In the recording, Lewis self-identified, then said, “I’m going to fly to Washington DC, I’m gonna find that f–king [expletive], I’m gonna f–king murder her — and I’m not even joking … She can come at me and I will come at you. I’m gonna f–king get on a flight on Monday, and I’m gonna f–king murder that little bitch,” court documents state.
Court documents reveal that Lewis admitted he was intoxicated when he made the threatening call and later regretted making the call. Court records further state that Lewis’s addiction to alcohol was a primary contributing factor in engaging in this “abhorrent behavior,” and it was ultimately determined that Lewis had no intention of actually traveling to Washington, D.C. to carry out the threat.
Lewis’s attorney Nicole Kettwick further detailed in a presentencing response on behalf of Lewis that Lewis is gay, and that the presentencing investigation report for Lewis “correctly notes that Mr. Lewis ‘likely saw something covered on the news or posted on social media regarding [the victim’s] positions on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) issues.’”
Kettwick wrote that as a gay man, Lewis “described being upset about the ‘unrelenting’ anti-LGBTQ messaging that has targeted the community, especially the ‘hurtful language’ from politicians including [the victim].”
Kettwick stated that the context was not offered to excuse Lewis’s conduct or the harm he caused, but to provide “important insight into his state of mind” at the time of the offense.
Lewis is out of custody and has been ordered to voluntarily surrender to begin his incarceration on May 12, 2026. Lewis was also ordered to pay a fine of $5,500.
The case was the result of an investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
