BOSTON – A Texas man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to threatening a Boston doctor who provided care for members of the transgender community.
Matthew Jordan Lindner, 39, of Comfort, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transmission of threatening communication. Senior U.S. District Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Feb. 6, 2024. Lindner was arrested in Texas and charged on Dec. 2, 2022. He was subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on Dec. 15, 2022.
In August 2022, inaccurate information spread online regarding procedures doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital were performing for gender nonconforming children. On Aug. 31, 2022, in the midst of social media vitriol directed at health care providers who serve transgender patients, Lindner called the Boston-based National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center and left a threatening voicemail targeting one of the Center’s affiliated doctors. In that voicemail, Lindner said: “You sick motherf*****s, you’re all gonna burn. There’s a group of people on their way to handle [victim]. You signed your own warrant, lady. Castrating our children. You’ve woken up enough people. And upset enough of us. And you signed your own ticket. Sleep well, you f****** c***.”
“Doctors who serve pediatric patients, including the victim in this case and staff at Boston Children’s Hospital, have dedicated their professional lives to treating children. They should be celebrated for their contributions to so many in their time of need. Instead, this defendant threatened a doctor with violence just for doing her job. This conduct is deplorable and sends a chill through the medical community,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Hate and bigotry have no place in Massachusetts. Our office will stop at no end to protect the safety of all members of our community. We will continue to do all that we can to ensure individuals who engage in such behavior are identified, prosecuted and held accountable.”
“There is no way to undo the damage Matthew Lindner did to this physician, with his hateful, repulsive, and threatening behavior,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “No one should have to live in fear of violence because of who they are, what kind of work they do, or what they believe. This case, sadly, is just one example of the FBI’s ongoing commitment to bring to justice anyone who violates federal law, including those who threaten violence.”
After leaving the threatening voicemail, Lindner continued to try to contact the victim. To that end, he called the victim’s former medical practice and a university where the victim was a faculty member.
The charge of interstate transmission of threatening communication provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian A. Fogerty and K. Nathaniel Yeager of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.