By Rich Pollack
It wasn’t the wording of the campaign mailers that led a 25-year-old Boca Raton man to reportedly send death threats to State Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman.
It was the flyers themselves, state law enforcement agents say. The campaign literature drew the ire of Luke Schlauder, who demanded in three phone messages within six minutes on Oct. 12 that Gossett-Seidman stop sending him flyers while at the same time threatening to slit her throat, according to court records.
“The threat was clearly an abnormal reaction to receiving mail,” said Gossett-Seidman, who feared enough for her safety and that of her staff that she immediately contacted state law enforcement agencies and local police. “I was shocked.”
The Republican legislator, whose district includes Boca Raton and Highland Beach, said she never expected to receive threats.
“You hear stories from around the country of politicians and their offices being threatened, but you never think it will happen to you,” she said. “No person, regardless of their political affiliation, should fear for their life simply because they are running for elected office.”
While police investigated and reportedly tracked the calls to Schlauder, Gossett-Seidman closed her office and had everyone work from home.
“The threats were disturbing and vile,” said Gossett-Seidman, who told investigators that she was especially concerned because she knew the caller had to be living in her statehouse district near her home and office in order to receive the mailers.
According to court records, a Boca Raton police officer, who had been contacted by Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigators, visited Schlauder’s home and asked if he had made the calls.
“Schlauder confirmed (to the Boca officer) he made the calls and left the messages,” the FDLE agent wrote, according to court records. “Schlauder stated that he is just really tired of receiving the mailers sent to his address from her office. Schlauder further stated that he made the threats to try to get through to someone to get the mailers to stop coming to his residence.”
Investigators said that Schlauder told them he was not registered with any political party.
Schlauder was arrested Oct. 15 and charged with making written or electronic threats and with unlawful use of an electronic communication.
A judge set bail for Schlauder at $250,000 and required that he wear an ankle monitor and avoid contact with Gossett-Seidman and members of her staff.
Gossett-Seidman was not the only South Florida elected official running for reelection to face death threats.
U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, whose district includes Highland Beach and portions of Boca Raton, issued a statement on Oct. 22, saying that a constituent of his was arrested in Boca Raton for calling the congressman’s Coral Springs office and threatening his life.
Moskowitz said he is grateful to law enforcement at the state and local levels for acting quickly to keep him and his family safe.
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