Federal Prosecutors Threatened: Updates on Two Cases

Two stories to report on suspects threatening federal officials. 

A man serving time for murder at USP Atwater in California is indicted on a new charge for threatening to kill the “whole family” of a federal prosecutor in Maryland.  

According to court documents, Stanislav Yelizarov used a recorded prison telephone line to threaten to kill a prosecutor in the District of Maryland and the prosecutor’s family. The suspect also sent threatening letters to the prosecutor. 

Yelizarov was previously convicted of multiple offenses in the District of Maryland, and was undergoing further proceedings. 

In 2018, Yelizarov was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2009 murder of a jewelry dealer in Baltimore. He was also previously sentenced to 30 years for other crimes including leading a jewelry store robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and an armed home invasion.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS). 

If convicted, Yelizarov faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Indiana Conviction Upheld

Meanwhile the conviction of a man in Fort Wayne, Indiana for threatening a federal official was upheld by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, even as the victim was diagnosed paranoid schizophrenia. 

The court found that Damon Taylor made threats against an Assistant U.S. Attorney on several occasions. It started when Taylor went to the U.S. Attorney’s office and accused the attorney of having his personal property, which the attorney did not have. That escalated with Taylor showing up again at the prosecutor’s office and the federal courthouse and saying that if he didn’t get his stuff back, “Her blood will be on her hands.” 

The court acknowledged that while Taylor has mental challenges, “Even so, he made threatening statements to a federal law enforcement officer that were alarming on their face.”