Philadelphia Man Accused of Plot to Kill Eric Cantor, Family

WASHINGTON -- A Philadelphia man has been charged with threatening House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, who announced last week that he and his family had received violent threats.

The U.S. attorney in Philadelphia has filed a two-count complaint and warrant charging Norman Leboon with threatening to kill Cantor, R-Va., and his family, the Web site Talking Points Memo reported Monday.

Leboon recently "created and then transmitted a YouTube video to Google over the Internet, in which he threatened to kill Congressman Cantor and his family," the U.S. attorney’s office said Monday. "No harm came to the Congressman or his family as a result of Leboon's threats."

On Thursday, Cantor referenced past threats against him during a press conference held to address reports of violence in the wake of the House’s vote on the health care overhaul bill, according to MSNBC. He said he has been targeted because of his policy positions and his Jewish faith.

Cantor accused top Democrats of “fanning the flames” of extremism by publicizing threats made against lawmakers who voted in favor of the health reform legislation He said that members of both parties have been menaced.

At the news conference, Cantor also announced that a bullet recently shattered a window in his Richmond, Va., office. Authorities later reported that the bullet apparently was the result of random gunfire and that Cantor’s office was not a specific target.