Chattanooga man sentenced to two years for threatening to kill members of Congress

MGN

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) —  A Chattanooga man has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to threatening to kill two members of Congress.

Garry Lebron Hayes was sentenced on September 10, 2025.

In addition to prison time, Hayes will serve one year of supervised release.

According to court documents, Hayes admitted to making violent threats over the phone in 2024.

In July of that year, he called the district office of a U.S. Representative based in Tennessee and left a voicemail containing multiple threats, including, “I’m gonna kill you.”

Further evidence presented during the sentencing revealed that in January 2024, while outside of Tennessee, Hayes called the office of another member of Congress located in a different state.

In that call, he reportedly said, “I will slice your throat.”

Hayes pleaded guilty to transmitting threats across state lines, a violation of federal law.