Benjamin J. Biese

An inmate serving time at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage for threatening a judge could face additional prison time after authorities say he threatened to kill a Wisconsin Court of Appeals judge and blow up a Madison courthouse.

Benjamin J. Biese, 31, is charged in Columbia County Circuit Court with felony threat to a judge, which carries a maximum initial penalty of three years in prison.

In a letter dated June 3, Biese reportedly threatened to kill a Court of Appeals judge if the judge dismissed the appeals of two inmates whom he had helped with their appeals, according to a criminal complaint.

Biese allegedly wrote: "I am the chief judge around here, and dismissing an appeal that I prepared will get you killed, promise you that. ... I will blow a courthouse up over this," the complaint stated.

The court house is the Western District Federal Courthouse in Madison, the complaint stated.

Biese reportedly told authorities June 17 that he was angry with the judge because the judge was going to dismiss the appeals of the two inmates and that he still wanted to have the judge killed. He also reportedly said that he should not have alerted the judge with a letter.

Biese was convicted in 1995 in Outagamie County of threat to a judge; in 1996 in Lincoln County of threat to injure; in 1999 in Winnebago County of battery or threat to judge; and in 1999 in Outagamie County of battery or threat to judge or family member. He was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison.

An initial appearance has not been scheduled.

sgreen@capitalnewspapers.com

745-3504