According to the 12-page court filing, the plaintiffs, Robert Butwin Jr. and Janet Schmidt, are private citizens, neither public figures nor political operatives, who displayed pro-Trump signs in their yards during the 2024 election cycle. Butwin made his signage by hand, but it was “defiled,” according to the lawsuit. Undeterred, he crafted a second sign in support of his candidate of choice.

Then, in October 2024, the plaintiffs opened their mailboxes to find identical messages delivered via the U.S. Postal Service, with each of their addresses written on the envelopes in “shaky, block lettering.”

The contents graphically described what would happen should they participate in the coming election.

“We know where you live, you are in the data base,” the letter read, according to a copy of the correspondence included as an exhibit in the court filing. “In the dead of a cold winters night, this year, or next and beyond, there is no knowing what may happen. Your property, your family may be impacted, your cat may get shot. And more.”

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Notably, a Trump 2024 campaign logo appeared at the top of the page, which concluded, “Your vote for this guy is seen as treading on my rights. You tread on me at your peril, motherf***er. We look forward to visiting in the future.”

The threatening language also included a “reminder” that their “visible support comes with a price and a cost.”

“There will be consequences,” the letter read. “Should your candidate win, the consequences will be staggering.”

After reading the letter, Schmidt reported it to the police department in Lower Merion Township, about 12 miles northwest of Philadelphia. When she filed her report, the agency informed Schmidt that one other person had received a similar letter. Schmidt then left a copy of the letter and stored the original in a plastic bag to preserve as evidence in case it was needed for the investigation. To date, she has not received any follow-up calls or information from the police department, according to the lawsuit.

Schmidt also called the post office and spoke with postal law enforcement. She was told that the postal inspector would respond. However, no one has communicated with her since, according to the complaint.

Butwin, meanwhile, attempted to file a report with the Tredyffrin Township Police Department, but the station was closed for a federal holiday that day. A police officer outside took pictures of the letter and informed Butwin that he would hear back. Following no apparent movement on the matter, Butwin requested information regarding the incident pursuant to the Pennsylvania Right-To-Know Law, a state statute providing citizens access to public information. Butwin’s request was reportedly denied due to the records being exempt from disclosure.

The lawsuit only refers to the defendants, who are not yet named, as “John Doe 1” and “John Doe 2” because their identities are still unknown at the time of filing, though the letter alluded to multiple authors. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs plan on engaging in discovery to uncover the culprits.

As relief, “to ascertain from authorities with information about these threats,” the plaintiffs are seeking to serve third-party discovery on parties “likely to know” or “who should know” the identities of those responsible.

“Defendants acted anonymously in the violation of Plaintiffs’ civil rights,” namely, seeking to threaten and intimidate them for exercising their right to vote, according to the lawsuit.

Specifically, the lawsuit accuses the defendants of violating Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits the intimidation or coercion of any individual attempting to vote, and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, which authorizes lawsuits against anyone who conspires to “prevent by force, intimidation, or threat, any citizen who is lawfully entitled to vote, from giving his support or advocacy in a legal manner, toward or in favor of the election of any lawfully qualified person as an elector for President or Vice President … or to injure any citizen in person or property on account of such support or advocacy.”

The lawsuit noted that Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) made election security a priority in the battleground state and even established an Election Threats Task Force to “ensure all levels of government are working together to combat misinformation, safeguard the rights of every citizen, and ensure this election is safe, secure, free, and fair.”

News reports at the time of the incidents indicated that Trump supporters across several Pennsylvania counties received the same letter. The Delaware Valley Journal reported that pro-Trump voters in Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery counties were mailed copies of the menacing message. A spokesman for the Trump campaign said some people in the Pittsburgh area were targeted, too.

Linda Kerns, an election integrity lawyer for the Republican National Committee, was handling complaints about the letter, according to the Delaware Valley Journal, and urged anyone who received a threatening letter to contact protectthevote.com, an RNC organization keeping track of the threats.

Under the state’s election law, anyone who threatens or intimidates voters could be charged with a felony and face a $15,000 fine, up to seven years in prison, or both. Federal charges could also be brought, Kerns added.

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“We are cooperating with federal, state, and local authorities in their investigations and, hopefully, prosecutions of anyone who so blatantly and wrongfully interferes in our elections,” Kerns said.

Kerns told the Delaware Valley Journal that the RNC was also contacting the U.S. Attorney’s Office about the letters. “We’re taking this very seriously,” she said.