Federal judges targeted nationwide by “pizza doxxings”

As federal judges endure a rise in threats, CBS News has learned that some jurists have faced strange, unnerving incidents in which an unknown person orders a pizza to their home address in an apparent attempt to menace them.

The top federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., has called the incidents “pizza doxxing” — a spin on “doxxing,” in which somebody’s address or other personal information is maliciously made public, often as a form of intimidation.

In about two dozen cases nationwide, judges have gotten unsolicited pizza deliveries with the recipient listed as Daniel Anderl, the late son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, the New Jersey judge told CBS News. Anderl was killed at the family’s New Jersey home in 2020 by a disgruntled gunman who was targeting Salas.

Salas called the cases attempts at “psychological warfare” against judges.

Salas says the perpetrators have not been identified. She plans to meet with officials at the U.S. Marshals Service on Thursday to talk about the threats.

A U.S. Marshals Service official told CBS News the agency — which handles judicial security — is “looking into all the unsolicited pizza deliveries to federal judges and taking appropriate steps to address the matter.”

During a news conference Tuesday, outgoing U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Ed Martin said “pizza doxxers” are also a focus of the federal prosecutor’s office in the nation’s capital, a jurisdiction where a large number of federal judges reside.

Former FBI agent Mike Clark, who leads the Society of Retired FBI Agents, told CBS News the incidents appear to be designed to send a threatening and menacing message to judges.

“To do this, is inviting tragedy and something terrible to happen. They’re making a mockery of the justice system and they’re playing a dangerous game,” Clark said.

Security analysts have previously warned “pizza doxxing” — or hoax deliveries — could also be a technique to lure a public official to the front door of his or her home, to confirm their address for a possible future attack.

Threats against judges have been on the rise in recent years, part of a broader trend for public officials. The U.S. Marshals Service recorded more than 450 threats against federal judges in 2023, up more than 300 from 2019, with threats against prosecutors also growing at a rapid clip over the same period, CBS News has previously reported.

In a separate interview with CBS News in March, Salas said, “I worry for judicial officers who have to render tough decisions, who have to render decisions that may be unpopular to some individuals.” She also cited “the inflammatory rhetoric and language that’s coming from both our leaders as well as people in positions of power that have large platforms.”

“Those are dangerous combinations, because … we don’t know what might set someone off,” she said. “I’m living proof. My son isn’t here anymore.”