Abigail Jo Shry, a 45-year-old Texas woman convicted of threatening a federal judge, was arrested last week in Houston after failing to report to prison. She had been sentenced to 27 months for a threatening voicemail left in 2023 targeting Judge Tanya Chutkan. Shry, who participated in the January 6 Capitol attack, now faces her incarceration following the denial of a request to delay her surrender.
Abigail Jo Shry was ordered to begin her 27-month prison sentence at a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility in Florida on February 17, but she did not appear. A federal judge in Texas subsequently issued an arrest warrant, leading to her detention in Houston last week. She is now held at a federal facility in Texas, according to Bureau of Prisons records.
Shry's legal troubles stem from a voicemail she left on August 5, 2023, for the chambers of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who was overseeing the federal case against then-President Donald Trump related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. In the message, Shry used a racial slur and issued threats, stating: "You are in our sights, we want to kill you." She added: "If Trump doesn't get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly, b—." Further, she warned: "You will be targeted personally, publicly, your family, all of it." The threats extended to Democrats in Washington, D.C., LGBTQ individuals, and the late U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
Department of Homeland Security agents traced the call to Shry's cellphone in Alvin, near Houston. Upon questioning, she admitted to the message but claimed no plans to travel to Washington, D.C., or Houston to act on it, though she noted concern if Lee visited Alvin. Shry pleaded guilty in November 2024 to transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. During her plea hearing, she argued the statements were protected by the First Amendment, a claim U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani rejected, stating the Southern District of Texas has "no patience for those who target and threaten public servants — ignorance of the Constitution notwithstanding."
Prior to sentencing, Shry's attorney, Brandon G. Leonard, sought a 30-day extension for her to report, citing her time in jail from January 8 to February 6 on unrelated warrants for allegedly threatening Texas state senators over Attorney General Ken Paxton's potential impeachment. Leonard highlighted Shry's elderly parents, including a father with recent medical issues, and her need to arrange family affairs. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison denied the request. Leonard later withdrew as counsel.
Shry has a history of legal issues, including convictions in September 2022 for criminal mischief, resisting arrest, and interfering with public duties, as well as a July 2023 charge for a threatening misdemeanor. U.S. Magistrate Judge Sam S. Sheldon noted her prior probation violations and four charges in a year for similar conduct. Court records describe Shry as a mother of two with major depression, substance abuse history, and a boyfriend charged with family assault. Her father testified she is a non-violent alcoholic who "sits on her couch daily watching the news while drinking too many beers," becoming agitated and making threats without leaving home.
Shry was among roughly 1,600 January 6 rioters pardoned by President Trump.
