Robert Davis Forney, a 25-year-old resident of Duluth, Georgia, appeared before a United States Magistrate Judge in Atlanta on federal charges related to making threats in interstate commerce. A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia indicted Forney on June 10, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg commented on the case, stating, “Threatening our elected officials and their families is an act of violence that undermines our entire democracy.” He emphasized that political disagreements do not justify attacks against national leaders.
FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown remarked on the severity of such actions: “Targeting public officials with threatening messages is a serious federal crime. There is no place for political violence or threats of violence in the United States.”
The indictment details that on January 9, 2025, Forney made two calls to Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz’s office, leaving voicemails threatening sexual violence against both Senator Cruz and his family. The following day, he left a similar voicemail at Nebraska U.S. Senator Deb Fischer’s office.
The public is reminded that an indictment consists only of charges; the defendant remains presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, which utilizes resources from the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration and violent crime through initiatives like Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray are leading the prosecution with investigations conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Capitol Police.
For additional information, contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office via email at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or phone at (404) 581-6280. More details can be found on their website: http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
