BANGOR, Maine — A native of Bulgaria living in Houlton has been charged in U.S. District Court with threatening to kill a member of the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union.
Dushko Venelinov Vulchev, 38, made his first court appearance Monday in federal court in Portland on one count of threats in foreign commerce, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“I will kill you like chickens,” Vulchev allegedly said in an email to a Bulgarian economist and administrator who is a member of the European Commission, which is located in Brussels, Belgium.
Vulchev, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, was not asked to enter a plea because he has not yet been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Vulchev was arrested Sunday, according to information posted on the court’s electronic case filing system.
A hearing to determine if he will be released on bail is set for Thursday in federal court in Bangor.
The investigation into the threatening emails began Feb. 5 after the victim and others received them. The FBI traced the emails to Vulchev, who, with permission, had used a neighbor’s wireless Internet connection.
If convicted, Vulchev faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Editor’s note: Vulchez is the former owner of an Internet online gaming café in downtown Houlton and was an applicant for the position of Houlton Town Manager.
