A Minnesota man who previously served 18 months in prison for threatening to kill a federal judge was arrested that week for doing it again, this time in a 236-page “manifesto” called “How to Kill a Federal Judge.”
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the investigation began on September 5 when staff at the Wayzata Library called law enforcement about a man printing copies of the extensive manifesto. The man, identified as 72-year-old Robert Phillip Ivers, had showed the manifesto to library staff, “including a page of the manifesto that talked about killing children and had a picture of a gun on it.”
“Ivers also gave library staff a three-page ‘flyer’ advertising his manifesto before he left the library,” the US Attorney’s Office said. “The flyer stated that the manifesto ‘is designed to teach extremists on how to plan, train, hunt, stalk and kill anyone including judges, their family members, politicians and more!’ It also advertised that the ‘harsh reality is that judges are going to die.’”
“At a time when Minnesota is reeling from acts of violence, the last thing we need is someone spreading fear into our churches, libraries, and courts,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Ivers’s threats are bone chilling. After the past few months, we are not taking chances. When someone threatens our community, we believe them, and we will act swiftly to protect Minnesotans.”
Two children were killed and 14 wounded in a shooting at Minneapolis Catholic church last month. Three adults were also wounded. The gunman killed himself. And in June, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife wounded in June by a man who had a list of dozens of elected officials he intended to target. Vance Boelter, 57, was eventually captured and charged.
Law enforcement said that Ivers had been reported for “concerning behavior” at a church potluck in Minnetonka last month. He told church members he planned to attend multiple upcoming events at the church in the coming weeks. Officials reported him after searching for him online and discovering his history of “past threats of violence, a felony conviction, and racist commentary.”
Wayzata Police found him on September 3 and arrested him, but while he was being transported to jail, he claimed he was having a heart attack and was taken to a hospital. He was released later that night.
Officers searched Ivers’ vehicle, where the found a photo of Pope Francis with crosshairs centered on his head, 20 copies of his spiral bound “How to Kill a Federal Judge,” flyers advertising the book, lists of federal judges, a copy of “The Anarchist Cookbook,” a white foam box containing a toy replica firearm, a box of carbon dioxide cartidges, a container of pellets, and a box of fireworks.
Ivers was rearrested on September 5 and admitted to showing library staff his book. When a detective asked if he expected his book would scare anybody, he shouted, “It was supposed to!”
The manifesto features a photo of man holding a rifle on the cover and discussed the wrongs he believes the federal judicial system did to him as well as his plans for revenge. He appears “fixated” on one particular judge — although the manifesto mentions several — who presided over his 2019 trial for threatening to kill another federal judge.
“Threats of violence directed at federal judges not only undermine the integrity of our legal system but also pose a grave risk to the principles of justice and democracy,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners consider all threats of violence against judges, or any public servants, with grave seriousness.”
Ivers made a initial appearance in court and was remanded to jail pending a bond hearing on Friday, Law&Crime reported. He is charged with threatening to assault and kill a federal judge.
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[Featured image: Robert Ivers/Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office]
