White supremacist admits threatening jurors and witnesses in Pittsburgh synagogue shooter trial
WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) – A self-described white supremacist pleaded guilty Tuesday to making online threats against the jury and witnesses in a man’s trial killed 11 community members at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
As part of his plea agreement in federal court for the Northern District of West Virginia, Hardy Carroll Lloyd admitted that the actual or perceived Jewish beliefs of government witnesses and victims in the Robert Bowers trial led him to target the jurors and witnesses.
Lloyd, 45, of Follansbee, West Virginia, faces more than six years in prison if the plea agreement is accepted by the court.
The Justice Department described Lloyd as a self-proclaimed “reverend” of a white supremacy movement. Prosecutors said Lloyd, who was arrested Aug. 10, sent threatening posts and emails on social media and comments on websites during Bowers’ trial. Lloyd pleaded guilty to obstructing the due administration of justice.
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“Hardy Lloyd attempted to obstruct the federal hate crimes trial for the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in American history,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “His admission of guilt underscores that anyone who attempts to impede a federal proceeding by threatening or intimidating jurors or witnesses will face the full force of the Justice Department.”
In May 2022, the Texas Department of Public Safety offered a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to Lloyd’s arrest after he allegedly posted a series of comments online threatening to bring a firearm onto the premises of the Texas Capitol and to challenge any police officer who attempted to “take enforcement action” against him. A statement from the department said Lloyd is a convicted felon.
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