What did Keith Eisenberger do? Oklahoma man pleads guilty to cyberstalking and threatening US Rep. Kevin Hern

On Wednesday, August 10, a 39-year-old Oklahoma man named Keith Eisenberger pleaded guilty to stalking 60-year-old businessman Kevin Hern, a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives.

As per prosecutors, Keith Eisenberger allegedly began a long-term harassment campaign against Kevin Hern in late 2018 after the politician was sworn into the House on November 13 that year.

According to authorities, Keith Eisenberger's actions only escalated as he reportedly threatened Hern and his family. He was also accused of threatening to assault and kidnap the politician unless he resigned.

Eisenberger's sentence has not yet been determined. Threatening a member of office is a federal felony, and he could face up to 25 years in prison.

In the plea agreement, Eisenberger's defense team indicated that sentencing guidelines called for 36 months in prison and 36 months of a supervised release on the basis of these threats.

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A harassment campaign was allegedly launched to target Kevin Hern

According to the US Department of Justice, Keith Charles Eisenberger has been convicted of cyberstalking, threatening to kidnap a member of Congress, and threatening to kidnap the spouse of a member of Congress.

He confessed that he had persisted in harassing Kevin Hern between November 2018 and May 2022 in the hope that he would eventually get the house representative to step down from his position.

According to CBS, he had called Hern's office in 2018, referring to the election of the congressman as "illegitimate."

Allegedly, Eisenberger said:

"I will do everything I can to stop this."

This eventually culminated in Eisenberger going to Hern's house where his threats only became more severe. His final threat was made in May when he posted online that he would kidnap the politician and his wife.

Eisenberger also posted on social media that he would assault the politician unless he faced a federal indictment on the basis of an illegitimate election.

In response, US Attorney Clint Johnson condemned Eisenberger's actions. He said:

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate online threats of violence meant to intimidate elected officials or members of our community."

He added:

"Keith Eisenberger now understands there are legal repercussions to committing these criminal acts."

Edward J. Gray, the FBI Oklahoma City special agent in charge, said that authorities would continue to pursue any similar threats.

He said:

“While the First Amendment gives us the right to express our own opinions, it does not protect those who cross the line of making violent criminal threats."

He continued:

"The FBI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure elected officials can perform the duties of their office safely.”

Eisenberger is currently awaiting sentencing.