BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN-
HONOLULU -Threatening to decapitate a congresswoman has landed a former Hawaii resident in federal prison.
Aniruddha Sherbow, 44, was sentenced Monday to 33 months in federal prison after threatening to “beat” and “decapitate” U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii.
The threats began in 2011 when Gabbard was a member of the Honolulu City Council and continued after her 2012 election to Congress, even though Sherbow in 2011 was ordered to stay way from Gabbard for three years.
The threats, which Sherbow communicated directly to Gabbard as well as to Hawaii Reporter and other media, escalated into 2013.
On Aug. 1, 2013, when Gabbard was in Washington, D.C., court records show Sherbow left Gabbard an expletive-laced voicemail calling her a “stupid little bitch.” He said he planned to find the congresswoman, beat her and kill her.
On Aug. 3, 2013, Sherbow sent an email to the FBI and the media, including Watchdog.org, with the headline “Cutting Off Tulsi Gabbard’s Head.”
“I, Aniruddha Sherbow, with the Divine as my witness, do hereby solemnly vow to find Tulsi Gabbard, wheresoever she may be, and to sever her head from her body,” the email read.
Sherbow’s father, Paul Sherbow, told investigators he also received the Aug. 3 email and confirmed his son sent it, court records show.
A federal arrest warrant was issued in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after Sherbow made those threats.
Saying he was a philosophy major and writer, Sherbow corresponded exclusively with Hawaii Reporter in a series of emails, saying Gabbard was “The Prima Donna” who made him feel “insignificant.”
He goes by the name “Sphinx the writer” and said when he lived in Hawaii, he offered to volunteer to write news releases and other correspondences Gabbard’s council office.
Sherbow said he felt compelled to contact Gabbard initially because he “was born into the same obscure Western-Hindu tradition as Tulsi, the Hare Krishna Movement, also known as the Brahma Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya.”
He has been in federal custody since his August 2013 arrest in Tijuana, Mexico, by the Policia Estatal Preventiva and the Baja California State Police Fugitive Unit, which worked in cooperation with the FBI, Capitol Police, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney.
Sherbow pleaded no contest to two charges in February related to transmission of threats.
Once released from prison, Sherbow will be placed on three years of supervised release and is barred from having any contact with Gabbard, according to a court agreement.
Sherbow also must reimburse the government $538,282 for security expenses incurred as a result of his threats and get a mental health evaluation and treatment, Judge Reggie B. Walton ruled.
Gabbard, 33, has extensive military experience, including two tours of combat duty in the Middle East. She is a captain in the Hawaii National Guard’s 29th Brigade Combat Team. Her election to Congress in 2012 was notable because she was the first Hindu and first woman of Samoan ancestry to serve in Congress. Gabbard has not commented on this case.
[…] Man gets 33 months in prison after threatening to decapitate congresswoman […]
Congratulations to Malia Zimmerman for publishing the fact that the Hare Krishna cult is where Tulsi Gabbard and Aniruddha Sherbow were brought together. Tulsi is the darling of local media, so they don't like to mention Tulsi's Hare Krishna background.
"If silence be good for the wise, how much better for fools." —Talmud
They're not the same Hare Krishna as portrayed by David Leisure in the 1980 documentary film "Airplane!"
I agree. These are the folks singing "Hare Krishna, Krishna Rama, …" at Honolulu airport and handing out free vegetarian lunch in Kapiolani Park in the 2000s.
There are over a billion Hindus in the world, yet if you had your way you would marginalize and discriminate against every one of them. Religious hatred is a stain on our history and I'm happy the people of Hawaii are above it, except for a few vocal people.
My comment is not directed at a billion mainstream Hindus. My comment merely points out that Malia Zimmerman had the courage to include the fact that it was a small Hare Krishna cult that brought Tulsi and her stalker together a few years ago. The media loves Tulsi, and therefore has covered up for years her background as a Hare Krishna devotee. As any reader with a clear mind can see, my comment is not directed against Hindu religion nor against Tulsi, only against the media cover-up.
Any connection between Tulsi and her stalker is in his mind and your mind alone. You obviously have a political grudge against Tulsi and are trying to use religion as an attempt to smear her. Thankfully the feds did their job and the guy was caught.
I'm not smearing Tulsi. I voted for her last month! But you are obviously a propagandist for her, not willing to acknowledge facts. The stalker met Tulsi because they were both members of the same small Hare Krishna group. He became obsessed with her, as in the "fatal attraction" film. He wanted to live in a spare bedroom in her home to work for her political campaign, but she refused. Then he started stalking her. I know that there are a lot of people who are very zealous supporters of Tulsi Gabbard, and they react immediately and to rescue her from any criticism or exposure of unsavory elements in her background. I guess you are one of those disciples. How nice for you! But I do think it's important to know the facts, and to report them. That's why I thank Malia Zimmerman for having the courage to include Tulsi's Hare Krishna background in Zimmerman's news report, when other news reports cover it up. The Hare Krishna information is essential to understand how the stalker first became attached to Tulsi. This is NOT in my mind alone, as your attack on me says. You are the one who is delusional for not accepting facts.
And if you're commenting about mine, you can blame ZAZ and comedy writing in 1970s
He reminds me of the Walking DEad's crazy governor ?
well she voted against the FY 2015 omnibus bill which isfilled with pork chop for wall street,etc. and she voted against NDAA which funds money to so called moderate Syrian rebels. so that is a good start. but she still a big tax and spend politician for other government programs. and that is the way it is with both parties in congress unfortunately.will get worse when the republicans take over congress next month. hare Krishna!
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