Federal prosecutors have charged a man from Southern California with a significant offense of allegedly threatening the life of President Trump on Facebook, following last year’s election.
The defendant is 73-year-old Thomas Eugene Streavel of San Bernardino County. He was indicted last week on three counts of making threats against a president-elect, according to a news release from the Justice Department on Tuesday. A recently unsealed indictment reveals a series of vitriolic Facebook messages purportedly written by Streavel about Mr. Trump, both before and after the election, some of which conveyed a violent intent towards the President.
The charges rest on three messages allegedly penned in November, the Justice Department said. Streavel was apprehended on Monday and entered a plea of not guilty during his arraignment on Tuesday. He has been released on a $10,000 bond, as per the Justice Department’s statement. The issue is currently under investigation by the Secret Service.
This incident follows previous attempts on Mr. Trump’s life during last year’s election. The then-presidential candidate was struck in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July, and another individual was charged with planning to assassinate him at his Florida golf club in September.
If convicted, the maximum sentence for making threats against the president or president-elect is five years. However, it should be noted that sentencing decisions are made by judges, and it is not unusual for federal criminal defendants to receive less than the maximum. In recent years, the Justice Department has regularly brought charges for threats against Mr. Trump, former President Joe Biden, and other high-profile officials. According to authorities, threats against officials, ranging from members of Congress to judges and prosecutors, are also on the rise.
