Article Text
A 33-year-old McLean man was sentenced Wednesday to one year and three months in prison for threatening to shoot Richard Grenell, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump and former president of the Kennedy Center.
Scott Allen Bolger pleaded guilty in February to transmitting a threat through interstate commerce. He could have received up to five years in prison.
Court records say Bolger used a Google Voice account tied to a fictitious email address to send Grenell a threatening text on Dec. 23, 2025. Before sending the message, Bolger researched Grenell’s phone number online and attempted to call him, prosecutors said.
Grenell was then leading the Kennedy Center, having been appointed in February after Trump removed President Debra Rutter and several board members. Trump subsequently became chairman of the performing arts institution’s board.
The threat was reported to the FBI, which traced it to Bolger using information in a law enforcement database. Agents visited his home on Dec. 24.
Bolger allegedly told the agents his name was Brian Black and denied knowing anyone named Scott Bolger, even after they identified themselves as federal law enforcement officers.
Authorities arrested him Dec. 26. A federal grand jury in Alexandria indicted him Jan. 15 on one count of transmitting a threat through interstate communications.
During his plea hearing, Bolger also admitted creating social media and email accounts to harass and threaten a former girlfriend from December 2022 through October 2023. Some messages contained indecent images of the woman, and prosecutors said Bolger continued monitoring her online until at least November 2025.
Federal prosecutors requested a two-year prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release.
Grenell left his Kennedy Center leadership position in mid-March after months marked by staff layoffs and artist cancellations. He remains part of the Trump administration as a special missions envoy.
In May, Grenell joined Live Nation’s board of directors. The company had settled a federal antitrust lawsuit in March.
During Trump’s first administration, Grenell served as ambassador to Germany and special presidential envoy for peace negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo. He also served briefly as acting director of national intelligence.