A federal judge in Nevada sentenced Spencer Christjencody Gear, 35, of Las Vegas to 60 months in federal prison on June 1, 2026, for threatening to assault and murder federal officials and state employees across multiple jurisdictions [1]. U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey imposed the sentence following Gear's conviction by a jury in February 2026 [1].
Gear's threatening communications spanned seven months, from November 2023 through July 2024, and targeted federal officials, including judges, as well as state employees in Washington, D.C., New York, and Montana [1]. Federal law criminalizes threats against federal officials under 18 U.S.C. § 115, which covers threats to assault, kidnap, or murder current or former federal employees made with intent to impede or retaliate against official duties. The multi-state reach of the conduct and the specific targeting of judicial officers placed the case within a category that prosecutors and courts have treated with heightened concern, particularly as threats against the federal judiciary have drawn sustained attention from the Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service in recent years.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada prosecuted the case, with investigative support from the FBI [1]. The jury's February 2026 verdict resolved the case on the merits after Gear declined to enter a plea, and Judge Dorsey's 60-month sentence represents the statutory range applicable to threats against federal officers under the relevant charging statute. The DOJ's public statement on the sentencing emphasized the government's commitment to protecting federal employees from intimidation and violence [1].
Gear will serve his sentence in federal custody. No supervised release term or fine amount was specified in the publicly available sentencing summary, though post-custody supervision is standard for offenses of this class [1]. The case does not appear to involve co-defendants or parallel state proceedings. With sentencing now complete, the matter is formally closed at the district court level, though Gear retains the right to file a direct appeal to the Ninth Circuit.