Houston man charged after threatening to cut throat of Rep. Maxine Waters in call to her office

A federal grand jury has indicted a Houston man on federal charges for allegedly making a series of phone calls to the office of U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, threatening her with violence and death.

Sixty-year-old Brian Michael Gaherty was charged with four counts of making threats in interstate communications and four counts of threatening a U.S. official.

Gaherty called Waters' office several times, leaving a threatening voicemail on four occasions.

In one of the voicemails, prosecutors allege that Gaherty threatened to cut the throat of Waters.

"Threats to harm and kill an elected official impact the intended victim, her entire staff and every constituent who is not receiving services because the elected official is dealing with the security threat," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a press release. "The entire Justice Department is dedicated to protecting American democracy, which includes combating threats that terrorize officials who have been elected to serve the public."

Gaherty was arrested at his residence in Houston. He was released on $100,000 bond and is expected to appear for an arraignment in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

The United States Capitol Police and the FBI are investigating the case.

Waters represents California's 43rd congressional district, which is made of parts of southern Los Angeles County.