Man sentenced after threats against Ric Grenell over Kennedy Center renaming

A federal judge sentenced a McLean, Virginia, man to 15 months in prison after he sent Ric Grenell a violent threat tied to the bitter fight over the Kennedy Center’s future, a case that underscored how quickly online anger can become a criminal matter. Scott Allen Bolger, 33, also received three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in February to transmitting a threat via interstate commerce.

The threat arrived on Dec. 23, 2025, when prosecutors said Bolger used a Google Voice account linked to a fake email address to text Grenell: “Step on U Street and get a bullet put between your eyes, loyalist pig skin p**** [.].” Grenell said he was hit with as many as 30 anonymous calls that night. He reported the threat to the FBI after one call displayed a number and he recognized Bolger’s voice, which had called him a “coward.”

Federal agents went to Bolger’s home in Alexandria, Virginia, on Dec. 24, then arrested him on Dec. 26. He was indicted on Jan. 15. Prosecutors said investigators could not trace the anonymous calls directly to Bolger, but they tied the Google Voice account to him using law-enforcement database information. Bolger’s lawyers said he was upset after learning the Kennedy Center board, led by Grenell, had voted to rename the institution the “Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

In court, Grenell gave a victim impact statement and said the experience left him “rattled” to be in the same courtroom as the man who threatened him. He said he was used to criticism as a gay conservative, but called Bolger “unhinged” and said the message had crossed a line. Grenell also said he forgave Bolger, but was “fearful of the day he gets out,” adding, “I don't want there to be a victim like my friend, Charlie Kirk.” After the hearing, Grenell told CBS News that the 15-month sentence was adequate.

The Justice Department had sought two years in prison plus three years of supervised release. Bolger faced a maximum sentence of five years. Prosecutors also said he admitted to harassing a former girlfriend with social media and email accounts between December 2022 and October 2023. In court, Bolger apologized and said his actions were not excusable “no matter how much politics and the Kennedy Center means to me.”

The case came after months of upheaval at the Kennedy Center, where Trump ousted then-president Debra Rutter, removed several board members and installed Grenell in February 2025. A judge later ruled that Trump’s name must be removed from the center and blocked plans to close it during renovations, adding another layer to the institution’s ongoing political fight.