Albany woman faces charge in threat against Sen. Clinton

PHOTOGRAPHER: Steven Cook

Federal charges have been filed against an Albany woman, accusing her of making threats against former first lady and current presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton, records show.

The charges were filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Albany against Diane Ferretti, whose age was unavailable.

She is accused of making the threats to a friend in November and then repeating them to a Secret Service agent later that month, according to an affidavit on file.

The papers were filed after she allegedly left writings on an Albany Public Library computer making threats against the FBI.

Ferretti’s status could not be determined Tuesday evening. A spokesman at the Secret Service’s Albany office was not available late Tuesday afternoon. No attorney is listed in records.

However, in papers signed by Special Agent James H. Cook, there is no allegation that Ferretti attempted to carry out any of the threats, only that she made them.

Federal agents began investigating Ferretti in November, when a friend reported that she threatened to “cut off the arms and legs” of President Bush and Sen. Clinton.

The friend also told agents that he feared she might pursue her threats, describing her as “unstable and bizarre.”

Agents then interviewed Ferretti at the Albany library Nov. 19, where she allegedly repeated her threats and provided written threats. In those she allegedly wrote “I am going to Kill this Hillary in a way that’s sure to make the demons make her acquaintance when she wakes up at ground zero.”

She also allegedly told agents “Am I going to have to kill the president?” and “I guess I am going to kill the president.”

“Special Agent Cook provided Ferretti several opportunities to recant her statement and she did not,” the records read.

Ferretti gave agents a California driver’s license with a San Diego address. The license appeared to have been renewed in 2006. She gave agents no explanation for her move to Albany.

On Friday, a patron at the Albany library reported to police the alleged threats against the FBI. The threats were on a computer that Ferretti was using, according to records.

Despite the alleged threats against Bush, the federal charge relates only to Clinton. The charge notes that as the wife of a former president, she is under Secret Service protection. Papers also make note that she is currently a candidate for president herself.