Photo: Alamy
A 20-year-old Florida man has been arrested and charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump after allegedly posting a message on social media alongside a photo of himself holding a rifle, federal authorities said Monday.
Nick Guadalupe Cruz-Lopez, of Plant City, was charged Friday with making threats against the president, according to the Department of Justice. The offense is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the Middle District of Florida, the United States Secret Service received an emergency disclosure from Meta on April 2 regarding an Instagram account identified as “813.cruzz.” The account allegedly posted, “MAGA Otw to kill trump,” along with an image of the individual holding what authorities described as an AR-15-style rifle inside a vehicle.
Investigators said Meta also provided location data indicating the post originated near St. Pete Beach, Florida. License plate reader data later placed a gray Honda registered to Cruz-Lopez in the same area that day, according to the affidavit.
Agents used subscriber records, cellphone data and publicly available social media accounts to identify Cruz-Lopez and trace him to his residence in Plant City, near Tampa, authorities said.
A Secret Service agent stated there was probable cause to believe Cruz-Lopez violated federal laws prohibiting threats against the president. Court records show he was released on $250,000 unsecured bail.
The case follows other recent prosecutions involving alleged threats against President Trump. Last week, federal prosecutors in Massachusetts charged Andrew D. Emerald, 45, of Great Barrington, with eight counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications based on Facebook posts made between May and July 2025.
One post stated: “When I see to it that Trump is put to death. It will be the day the purpose creation put me here for beyond creating. My daughter is fulfilled. (because what she is destined to do for the world is far greater than mine, taking out the orange menace!)”
The Justice Department said that charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, along with supervised release and a potential fine.