Lehigh Valley man admits he threatened to hurt nuns, told them ‘Time for assassinations!’

Edward N. Cahn Courthouse and Federal Building

The Edward N. Cahn Courthouse and Federal Building at 504 Hamilton Street in Allentown.Lehighvalleylive.com file photo

A Lehigh Valley man admitted he sent messages threatening to harm members of the Little Sisters of the Poor, an organization of nuns that provides shelter and charity to elderly people.

Jaan Kruus Jr., 55, pleaded guilty in federal court Friday in Allentown to sending a threatening message to the organization in Washington, D.C. As part of a plea deal, a second charge was dropped.

The Emmaus resident admitted he emailed this message Feb. 3, 2017. The capitalization and punctuation are verbatim:

“Get out of my country now or else. We know where you live and work!! And are coming for you and yours. You can not stop us now nor ever!! You and yours are the reasons why the original colonists left their home countries because of the persecutions just like you TERRORIST and bullies!! Time for assassinations!”

He sent this message May 9, 2017, according to court records:

“WE ARE coming to get and K*** you and yours and we know where you NAZIS live and work and you wont get away!! God doesn/'t exist and never will and never has!! Get out of this country now or else (redacted) or else!! republicans and their supporters and voters are all fascists and must be gotten rid of no matter what. they are not different from ISIS or The Taliban!! get out of this country or else! NOW!! This Email Is For Administrator!”

As part of the plea deal, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kishan Nair recommended a time-served sentence and two years of probation for Kruus. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. doesn’t have to follow the recommendation and has the authority to put Kruus in prison for up to five years when he’s sentenced on Feb. 20.

According to Nair, Kruss admitted he sent the messages from his laptop while he was in his parents’ home in Emmaus. He told FBI agents he disagreed with the Little Sisters of the Poor’s refusal to support contraception as part of the Affordable Care Act and worried their stand would result in people losing their healthcare coverage, according to court papers.

He said he went to the organization’s website “to see what the Little Sisters of the Poor were thinking” and wound up sending the email to its contact page, court papers say.

Asked why he sent the message, he told the FBI, “I don’t know. I think I was just nuts at the time. I shouldn’t have done it. I just wasn’t thinking straight.”

Nair said the sister who received the email didn’t feel threatened but worried about others staying at her home. The international congregation of Roman Catholic women serves the elderly poor in over 30 countries, according to its website.

“Our mission is to offer the neediest elderly of every race and religion a home where they will be welcomed as Christ, cared for as family and accompanied with dignity until God calls them to himself,” the site says.

Kruus remains free on unsecured bail. He cares for a friend who uses a wheelchair, lives with his elderly parents and has stayed out of trouble, according to court papers filed by his attorney, Mark Wilson. Kruus complies with a daily curfew of 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. and has vowed not to send any more threatening messages.

“His lifestyle is simple. He spends nearly all of his time at his parents’ residence except when he is visiting a doctor or taking his friend to her medical appointments or on her errands,” Wilson wrote.

Court records say Kruus’ estranged wife found a disturbing note crumpled up in a wastebasket in 2011 with the words “kill” and “bomb” on it. The note was investigated by the Emmaus police, although charges were never filed.

Nair didn’t comment on the plea deal or the recommended sentence except to say that he feels it’s the appropriate disposition for the case.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.

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