A 45-year-old Tennessee man will serve a couple of years in prison after admitting to leaving a series of gruesome, expletive-laden messages threatening the lives of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her family.
Garry Lebron Hayes, who pleaded guilty to one count of using interstate commerce to transmit a threat to injure another, was sentenced to two years in a federal prison on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier.
Collier imposed the maximum penalty allowed by federal sentencing guidelines, stating that his intention was to “send a signal to all of the other Garry Lebron Hayes” in the country who may believe they can get away with such behavior, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Despite law enforcement’s claim that there was no evidence Hayes planned to attack the Republican lawmaker, the judge reportedly stated that the harsh sentence was more concerned with protecting democracy than with Greene.
According to court records, Hayes repeatedly identified himself by name and told the congresswoman where he lived, frequently as part of threatening messages. For instance, in a voice message left on March 9, 2022, Hayes stated the following:
Hey [Congresswoman]. My name is Gary, G-A-R-R-Y, Hayes, H-A-Y-E-S. And I’m a little bit off. I’m a little bit taken back, but I’m from that area you are. And at any time that you feel like you want to do white nationalist s—, call my name, call my name. I’ll come see you and your children, and we’ll see how that ends up. B—!
In December 2022, Hayes left Greene another voicemail, this time mentioning her children as well as her then-husband Perry Greene, writing:
Let me assure you of something. You trifling b—. I’m a black man and I will meet you one day, b—. And when I do, I want your kids there, cause I’m gonna beat your mother f—ing ass in front of your children, b—. Now come f— with me. Come f— with me. Have your husband there too, b—.
Hayes’s rhetoric became increasingly violent, and on July 2, 2024, he upped the ante from threatening to beat up Greene to threatening to kill her, writing:
I’m in Chattanooga. You got, you got to ask your kids to f—ing finally kiss your ass, b—. Imma kill your ass, Imma kill you, b—.
Following the threats to Greene, an FBI task force officer interviewed the suspect’s mother at her home in Tennessee regarding her son’s threats. After learning of the FBI’s visit, Hayes responded by sending the following email to an FBI special agent:
I just unfortunately found out that you have visited my mother’s house. I certainly have not threatened or did anything to the government. But I understand Trump is elected and [your] counterpart clearly is a Trump lover. Don’t threaten my mother and don’t threaten me, I don’t have a threat for you all but I will defend my life to death. So tell your friend don’t come back to me don’t come back to my mother’s house I don’t have a threat for you all. But I’m willing to die.
According to the Free Press, prosecutors played a voice message left by Hayes for South Carolina Senator Tim Scott during one court proceeding. In the message, Hayes used a homophobic slur against the Republican senator and accused him of having sex with President Donald Trump.
Hayes will be required to receive mental health counseling while incarcerated.
