Man convicted in McHenry murder admits threatening federal judge

A former Round Lake man already imprisoned through at least 2023 for his part in a 2001 McHenry murder is facing more time behind bars after admitting Wednesday he sent a threatening letter to a federal judge.

Justin Houghtaling, 27, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Hammond, Ind., to a charge of mailing threatening communications, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The charge alleges Houghtaling sent a Chicago-based federal judge, identified only as Victim A, a letter threatening injury.

Houghtaling will not receive any benefit from pleading guilty rather than taking his case to trial, his attorney, Thomas Brandstrader, said Wednesday. Brandstrader declined to comment on his client's decision to enter the guilty plea.

A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Houghtaling already is serving a 20-year sentence in an Illinois prison for his role in the March 2001 slaying of Raul Briseno, a Lakemoor businessman shot to death during a botched robbery of his McHenry restaurant.

A McHenry County judge last month tacked five more years onto the sentence after Houghtaling pleaded guilty to a perjury charge for giving false testimony during the 2008 trial of murder co-defendant Kenneth Smith.

Although the threat allegations originated out of the federal court's Northern District of Illinois, authorities moved the case to Indiana when all Chicago-based judges recused themselves because the victim is a colleague.