Florida Man Indicted for Allegedly Threatening to Kill Alina Habba

The Department of Justice on Friday announced a federal indictment against a Florida man accused of threatening to kill the interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba.

The suspect, 58-year-old Salvatore Russotto of Orlando, allegedly posted a series of threats on the social media platform X.

Law enforcement officials said Russotto repeatedly used the number “86” in his posts. While the term traditionally refers to something being removed or canceled in restaurant slang, authorities say it is also used to refer to assassination.

According to a DOJ press release, Russotto posted statements such as “Eliminate HABBA. 86 Traitor. Death penalty for all traitors” and “I HOPE YOU DIE A PAINFUL DEATH.”

A federal grand jury charged Russotto with two counts: one for threatening to injure and kill a federal official, and another for retaliating against a law enforcement officer using threats.

If convicted on both charges, Russotto faces a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, the Conservative Brief reported.

Greg Kehoe, interim U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, announced the indictment. No specific motive behind Russotto’s threats was released.

Russotto’s posts were made on May 19, the same day Habba announced charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver, a Democrat from New Jersey. McIver was accused of obstructing federal agents at an immigration facility in Newark.

The incident involving McIver occurred during a confrontation last month, when federal officers attempted to arrest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Habba initially charged Baraka with trespassing, though the case was later dropped.

Following the dropped charges, Mayor Baraka filed a lawsuit against Habba, accusing her of politically motivated prosecution.

Earlier this week, McIver entered a not guilty plea to charges of assaulting and interfering with Department of Homeland Security officers. Her trial is scheduled for November 10.

President Donald Trump appointed Alina Habba as interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey in March. She had previously served as his personal attorney in several legal cases and was a White House counselor.

Trump is expected to formally nominate Habba for the permanent position, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal.

The indictment against Russotto was issued about a month after a controversy involving former FBI Director James Comey. Comey posted an Instagram photo that showed seashells arranged to read “86 47.”

The post was interpreted by many as a reference to assassinating Trump, the 47th president of the United States.

Comey denied knowing the term “86” had a violent connotation and said someone else arranged the shells. He later deleted the post after public criticism.

Trump responded to the incident in a May interview, saying Comey knew exactly what the phrase meant and dismissed the former FBI director’s explanation.

FBI Director Kash Patel, appointed by President Trump, confirmed that the bureau is investigating multiple potential copycat threats, including Comey’s post.

Patel commended the FBI’s Tampa office and Florida law enforcement for quickly arresting Russotto and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting public officials from violent threats.

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