A 34-year-old man was convicted of threatening to kill an Orange County judge who presided over his case.

Byrom Zuniga Sanchez, a former Laguna Niguel resident who moved to Mexico, was found guilty of two counts of threats by interstate and foreign communication, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count.

Prosecutors said during the three-day trial that Sanchez sent multiple death threats via email to Orange County Superior Court Judge Sandy Leal between May 2023 and July 2023. The Justice Department said Sanchez also threatened to kill or harm other judges, lawyers and law enforcement officials.

In one of the emails, Sanchez wrote that he was "more committed to murdering you than I am to being present as a fa

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