ALBANY, NEW YORK – Robert Seifert, age 62, of Utica, New York, was charged by criminal complaint last week for making telephonic threats to employees of the Albany Stratton Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center.
The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG).
The criminal complaint alleges that on January 14, 2021, Seifert made repeated calls to employees at the Albany Stratton VA with no legitimate purpose other than to threaten them, and left threatening voicemails in which he used demeaning and offensive language that caused each of the employees to fear for their safety. The charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charge filed against Seifert is a Class A misdemeanor that carries a maximum of 1 year in prison, a maximum fine of up to $100,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 1 year. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.
Seifert was arraigned on January 22 in Albany before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart. On January 27, Judge Stewart ordered that Seifert be detained pending trial.
This case is being investigated by the VA-OIG and the Veterans Affairs Police Service at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander P. Wentworth-Ping.