Florida Nurse Pleads Guilty To Threatening To Kill Vice President Kamala Harris, Faces Up To 5 Years In Prison
A woman from Florida reportedly pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Vice President Kamala Harris, and is now facing up to five years in federal prison.
The woman, Niviane Petit Phelps, made multiple threats on Harris' life in the days leading up to her being sworn into office alongside President Joe Biden. On Friday, September 10, the 39-year-old pleaded guilty to a six-count indictment and is scheduled for sentencing on November 19.
Phelps sent numerous videos to her incarcerated husband expressing her hatred for the vice president and threatening her life. "Kamala Harris you are going to die. Your days are numbered already. Someone paid me $53,000 just to f**k you up and I'm gonna take the, I'm gonna do the job, okay," she said, according to the criminal complaint at the time. She also sent a photo of herself with a handgun at a gun range.
During Phelps' plea hearing in district court, she admitted to sending the 30-second video to her husband, CNN reported.
Phelps was arrested in April after investigators provided the U.S. Secret Service with Phelps' shocking videos one month prior, according to court records. The criminal charges were filed against Phelps in Florida earlier in April.
Phelps' lawyer, Scott Saul, insisted his client didn't have any plans to go through with her threats. He said the threats only occurred during a conversation with her husband, as he alleged she was not serious about her attack.
"She was just venting as she was going through a tumultuous time in her life,” Saul declared. “It has been important for Ms. Phelps to demonstrate her acceptance of responsibility as she begins to atone for her aberrant actions.”
However, according to court documents, Phelps applied for a permit to carry a concealed weapon. (It is not known whether her permit got approved.)
Phelps told investigators she made the threats against Harris in the first place because she didn't believe the 56-year-old was actually black — even though her dad is Jamaican and her mom is Indian, Radar reported. She also insisted Harris placed her hand on her purse rather than the Bible when she was sworn into office.
Since Phelps' arrest, she was reportedly fired as a nurse within the Jackson Health System.
