A Wilkinsburg man who characterizes himself as a non-violent Quaker but, officials say, left voicemails for a U.S. senator calling for the death of billionaires, ICE agents and Donald Trump will be held in custody pending trial.
Raymond Eugene Chandler III, 40, is charged in federal court in Pittsburgh with threatening to kill President Donald Trump and a senator’s daughter in two separate voicemail messages.
He was arrested at his home on May 1.
Following a hearing on Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher B. Brown found there was probable cause to proceed with a trial. He also found Chandler to be a potential threat to the community and ruled he should remain detained.
According to the affidavit filed against him, Chandler left repeated messages on the office phone of an unidentified senator for a year. In the messages, the government said, Chandler gave his name and address.
Staff members told the FBI they were concerned with “escalating calls for violence” in the messages.
The two felony charges stemmed from voicemails left April 18 and April 29.
“I want you to imagine a scenario where all the 1,200 billionaires in this country, all their properties are surrounded simultaneously by a thousand people,” Chandler allegedly said in the April 18 message. “So imagine your house, your daughter’s house, everyone you know and love who is also rich. Imagine every single one of those homes being surrounded by a thousand people.”
Then, investigators said, Chandler suggested that those people would kill the senator and his daughter.
“That, you know, sir, that is the future. It’s not a future I want, it’s not a future I’m advocating for, but wealth concentration has gotten so bad in this country,” he allegedly said in the message. “The greed has gotten so bad. People are suffering so much, sir, that that is what is in our future. You will not escape their wrath. We must redistribute the wealth away from people like you.”
In the message left on April 29, prosecutors said Chandler asked the senator to kill President Trump.
“I am petitioning you, senator, for redress of grievances,” he allegedly said in the call. “My redress of grievances is that this president is awful … He’s a liar among all liars. He’s a great deceiver. He’s the antichrist.”
During Friday’s nearly two-hour hearing, the government called only one witness: FBI Agent Jason Furney.
Furney told the court that when agents arrived at Chandler’s home to arrest him, he was cooperative — immediately putting his hands up and walking outside to meet them.
The agent also said that Chandler claimed to have no weapons on him, but a search revealed a pocketknife in his pocket and a dagger on his hip.
During the arrest, Furney said, Chandler characterized himself as a Quaker and religious man, and a non-violent follower of Jesus.
During the hearing, the government presented several entries from Chandler’s journals found in his home.
One of them was titled his “Radically peaceful plan to kill all the billionaires.”
Another was called “Processing issues I have with ICE agents.”
Among the messages he left, the FBI said, Chandler advocated for the public execution of ICE agents.
During cross-examination by defense attorney Jacob Morrison, Furney read additional journal entries in which Chandler wrote that he was afraid of his own government and bought knives to protect himself.
In additional entries, he wrote:
- “We don’t actually want to kill anyone.”
- “It is against my religious beliefs to commit an act of violence.”
- “These agents deserve death through a sentence handed out by a judge.”
- “It is important we don’t engage in any violence ourselves.”
Morrison argued to the court that the voicemail messages left for the senator were not real threats. Instead, he said, Chandler was “advocating for political change.”
“Even very scary speech is protected,” Morrison argued. “These were not true threats within the meaning of the First Amendment.”
The voicemail messages, the defense contended, did not include an immediate or serious threat.
“Over and over again, Mr. Chandler says he does not want to do violence to anyone,” Morrison said.
Instead, he continued, his client was expressing his view that violence and rebellion could result if things don’t change politically.
Morrison told the court that Chandler is campaigning for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat John Fetterman, and that he has filed paperwork to do so and built a campaign website.
On it, he talks about various political issues, including establishing universal basic income, taxing billionaires and abolishing ICE.
In a YouTube video, Chandler described becoming a Quaker and his call to ministry. He also said he is autistic, grew up in Ohio and worked in a variety of fields including software development.
He said he has been unemployed since February.
Chandler has no criminal history and has lived in Wilkinsburg for three years, Morrison said. He asked that his client be released to home detention with GPS monitoring.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan McKenna argued that Chandler is both a flight risk and a threat to public safety.
The government argued that the voicemail threats were escalating and that the journal entries are “incredibly disturbing,” and the “product of methodical deliberation.”
“Mr. Chandler is clearly conflicted.”
Brown agreed with the prosecution that the voicemail messages were concerning, especially because of their graphic nature “calling for repeated violence.”
“There was a level of escalation,” the judge said. “I do find you’re a danger to the safety of the community.”