Montana man gets 2 1/2 years in prison for leaving threatening voicemails for Senator Jon Tester

BILLINGS, Mont. — A Montana man who pleaded guilty to leaving voicemail messages threatening to kill Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and his family was sentenced Wednesday to 2.5 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Anthony James Cross, 30, of Billings pleaded guilty in January to making threats to injure and kill a U.S. senator.

U.S. District Court Judge Susan Watters accepted a plea deal that called for the dismissal of charges that Cross made threats against President Joe Biden.

Tester’s office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. His office declined to comment on previous stories about the case.

Threats against government officials in the US have steadily increased in recent years, including against members of Congress and their spouses, election workers and local elected officials.

Another Montana man, Kevin Patrick Smith of Kalispell, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison in August 2023 for threatening to kill Tester in voicemails left at the senator’s office in Kalispell.