A New Mexico man who was charged with making threats of violence against then-President-Elect Donald Trump on social media pleaded guilty Thursday.
The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico announced in a press release that Tyler Leveque, 37, of Albuquerque, changed his initial not guilty plea to one count of making threats against the president and successors to the presidency.
Information on the website of the Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School indicates that the offense makes it a crime to threaten the life of or kidnap or inflict great bodily harm against the president, president-elect, vice president, vice-president elect, or any officer next in the line of succession to the president.
Leveque could face a prison term of up to five years, followed by a period of up to three years of supervised release when he is eventually sentenced. No date for a sentencing hearing was mentioned in the press release.
According to the press release, between Jan. 2 and 4, Leveque posted several videos and messages on social media threatening Trump and others ahead of a Jan. 19 rally in Washington, D.C, including one where Leveque stated that “…you and your rich friends are dead, no threat, a promise,” which was directed at Trump.
The U.S. Secret Service, agents from the FBI’s Albuquerque field office, and officers with the Albuquerque Police Department investigated the case. The press release announcing the change of plea said that on January 6, Leveque was questioned, and he admitted to making the posts, which he believed constituted free speech.
Leveque also admitted to purchasing a firearm from a local business, though at the time he had not yet received the weapon.
Everyone should be threatening Trump right now. Let this man go.
Just as Pilate said to the crowd screaming at Jesus and not letting him go.
This “administration” is trying to get itself into a position where they can eliminate any dissenters. They tried to level a federal conviction for the Subway sandwich guy who threw his sandwich at an ICE officer! (The grand jury refused to let the case go through). So someone making threats like that is going to be in big trouble. It’s not worth being in prison to make such threats no matter what you think of any elected official. There are much better ways to protest and they are protected by free speech.
I regularly insult, upbraid, rebuke and chastise the Orange Menace. I’m not dumb enough to threaten him, however. Please don’t give the tRump administration rope with which to hang you.