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Republican Ex-Candidate Sentenced to 80 Years in Prison for Shooting Plot
NYT - Gift LinkA former Republican candidate for a State House seat in New Mexico was sentenced to 80 years in prison on Wednesday for orchestrating a politically motivated shooting spree against four Democratic officials.
The series of shootings happened in December 2022 and early January 2023, weeks after the candidate, Solomon Peña, had lost his race. When Mr. Peña, 42, was arrested in January 2023, the authorities said he had paid four men in cash to shoot at the homes of certain Democratic officials, including a county commissioner and a state senator. No one was injured in the attacks.
In March of this year, a jury found Mr. Peña guilty on 13 federal charges, including conspiracy, weapons-related charges and interference with federally protected activities.
Mr. Peña’s sentencing brings to an end a closely watched case that had rattled politicians in New Mexico. The shooting spree followed other episodes across the country of politically motivated attacks, including an assault on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, that fueled concerns about political violence and election conspiracy theories.
Elected officials have continued to face threats of violence. President Trump faced an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pa., last year during his re-election campaign. In June, a Minnesota man was charged with killing a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband in a political assassination and wounding another state lawmaker and his wife.
The series of shootings happened in December 2022 and early January 2023, weeks after the candidate, Solomon Peña, had lost his race. When Mr. Peña, 42, was arrested in January 2023, the authorities said he had paid four men in cash to shoot at the homes of certain Democratic officials, including a county commissioner and a state senator. No one was injured in the attacks.
In March of this year, a jury found Mr. Peña guilty on 13 federal charges, including conspiracy, weapons-related charges and interference with federally protected activities.
Mr. Peña’s sentencing brings to an end a closely watched case that had rattled politicians in New Mexico. The shooting spree followed other episodes across the country of politically motivated attacks, including an assault on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, that fueled concerns about political violence and election conspiracy theories.
Elected officials have continued to face threats of violence. President Trump faced an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pa., last year during his re-election campaign. In June, a Minnesota man was charged with killing a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband in a political assassination and wounding another state lawmaker and his wife.
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