Prosecutors in the United States have accused a man of sending death threats to Dr. Anthony Fauci via email.

Federal prosecutors in Maryland stated Tuesday that a man was detained and charged in federal court with sending emails threatening to hurt and murder top U.S. infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins, and their families.

Thomas Patrick Connally Jr., 56, is charged in a criminal complaint filed Monday with threats against a federal officer and interstate communication conveying a threat to damage. According to an affidavit filed with the lawsuit, Connally utilized a Switzerland-based encrypted email service to send a series of emails to Collins and Fauci beginning in December and continuing until last week.

Fauci is the senior medical adviser to US President Joe Biden and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

He was appointed to his position in 1984, but his profile has grown as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. He has been a strong advocate of COVID-19 vaccinations and other preventative measures, and he has been recognized for his leadership in the HIV/AIDS battle.

In one email, Fauci and his family were threatened with being "dragged into the street, beaten to death, and set on fire."