NEWARK, NJ — A man was arrested after federal officials said he he destroyed property trying to confront New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, Alina Habba.
Keith Michael Lisa, 51, has been arrested, FBI spokeswoman Emily Molinari confirmed Saturday.
Molinari did not say when or where Lisa was arrested, what charges he might face, whether he is in jail or when he might appear before a judge. It is unclear whether Lisa is represented by an attorney. Newark's federal public defender did not immediately respond to an email Saturday asking if he was representing Lisa.
On Friday, the FBI offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information about Lisa, saying he was wanted on charges of destruction of government property and possession of a dangerous weapon in a U.S. courthouse. The bulletin said that on Wednesday, Lisa tried to enter a federal office building in downtown Newark with a bat but was turned away. Lisa returned without the bat, the ballot said, and was accepted. He then went to the U.S. Attorney's Office, where Hubba works, and destroyed the property, the bulletin said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a post on X On Saturday, the FBI, US Marshals Service and US Homeland Security Investigations worked together to arrest Lisa.
“No one can get away with threatening or intimidating our great American lawyers or destroying their offices,” Bondi wrote.
Hubba previously served as President Donald Trump's personal attorney, representing him in various cases and serving as his representative on legal matters. She served briefly as a White House adviser before Trump named her interim U.S. attorney in March.
“We caught him” Hubba wrote on X on Saturday. “The Department of Justice, under the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi, and our federal partners will not tolerate any acts of intimidation or violence against law enforcement. We are very grateful to the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations for their tireless work to capture him. He will now be brought to justice.”
Bondi vowed that federal officials would find and prosecute the man, previously writing that “any violence or threats of violence against any federal official will not be tolerated. Dot”.
On July 1, Trump formally appointed Hubba as permanent U.S. attorney for New Jersey, but two Democratic U.S. senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, opposed the move. stopping the confirmation process.
A few weeks later, as Hubba's 120-day temporary appointment was about to expire, federal judges in New Jersey moved to replace her with her replacement. Bondi then fired this prosecutor and renamed Hubba Acting U.S. Attorney.
Last month, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals listened to the arguments in the case challenging her appointment. It didn't rule.
