Former Delaware man sentenced to prison for mailing threats

WILMINGTON, Del. – A former Delaware man convicted of mailing death threats has been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison.

According to court documents, 64-year-old Michael Protack used the U.S. mail to send a series of threatening communication to his ex-wife’s attorney. One of the threats, received on January 7, 2021, stated in part that the victim should “count on being dead by June 2021. You won’t know when, where or how but your end has been written. Take the time and put your affairs in order because they will not find your body for weeks.”

Another threat received a couple of months later contained nothing more than a graphic image of a dead, mutilated body. One of the last threats received by the victim stated, “I drive past your office every day.”

Protack was arrested on June 11, 2021, and pleaded guilty to two counts of mailing threatening communications in August 2021.

In handing down the sentence, Judge Richard Andrews reportedly described Protack’s conduct as a “campaign of terror” and noted the lengths to which Protack went to conceal his identity as the perpetrator. Judge Andrews further stated that this was a “very serious offense” and that there was a need for just punishment that would promote respect for the law.