Federal prosecutors unsealed a complaint on Friday accusing a New York man of threatening to kill 47 current and former officials at U.S. regulatory agencies.

The government said Vincent McCrudden of Long Island made the threat after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission brought a civil enforcement action accusing him and two companies he controls of operating unregistered commodity pools.

Bruce Barket, a lawyer for McCrudden who described himself as a long-time friend, said in an interview his client is not guilty.

He is at times ill-mannered and short-tempered, and not very articulate in terms of expressing himself, Barket said. But the idea that he was actually threatening somebody is ludicrous.

McCrudden is expected to appear in court later Friday. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

Criminal Law