Police arrest Texas man for threatening Boston doctor

According to the U.S. Attorney's office in Massachusetts, a Texas man was detained on Friday on federal charges that he threatened a Boston doctor who treats members of the transgender community in a voicemail message.

The guy, Matthew Jordan Lindner, 38, of Comfort, Texas, was accused of sending threats over state lines on one count. About 50 miles northwest of San Antonio lies Comfort, which is located in Kendall County.

Lindner is accused of leaving a voicemail message on August 31 threatening to kill the doctor who works at the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center in Boston. Lindner's company, Lindner Ammo, held a federal firearms license in 2019.

An FBI agent said in an affidavit that Lindner contacted two additional phone lines connected to a Rhode Island institution where the doctor works as a faculty member after the call to the Boston doctor. Federal authorities used AT&T phone records to prove that the calls were from his company's number.

After being detained early on Friday, Lindner appeared in court for the first time in the Western District of Texas. According to the New York Times, he is being held without bond. At a later time, he will show up in Boston federal court. If found guilty, he may receive a fine of up to $250,000, three years of supervised release, and a maximum sentence of five years in jail.

In the recorded message to the Boston doctor, Lindner said, “you’re all gonna burn,” according to prosecutors. He added, “a group of people on their way to handle” the doctor and “You signed your own warrant.” Lindner named the doctor in the voicemail and ended the message by saying, “You’ve woken up enough people. And upset enough of us. And you signed your own ticket.”

Prosecutors chose not to make the name of the doctor who received the threat public. The Texas Tribune called and texted Lindner, but she didn't answer.

The Fenway Institute's National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center offers health services and educational activities for the queer and transgender populations. According to the centre's website, no clinical services nor referrals are provided. The facility was contacted by The Texas Tribune for comment, but it did not answer right away.

Because of the medical care they provide to transgender children, hospitals and clinicians all around the country have received death threats.