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A contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration in New Hampshire has been charged with making threats against President Donald Trump, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Dean DelleChiaie, 35, of Nashua, was arrested Monday and faces a federal charge of interstate communication of a threat against the president, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prosecutors allege that DelleChiaie sent an email to the White House last month from his personal account in which he identified himself and threatened to “neutralize” or kill the president.
Authorities say the message followed months of concerning activity. According to a criminal complaint, DelleChiaie allegedly used a government-issued computer to conduct research related to assassination methods, including searches about smuggling firearms into federal buildings and past attempts targeting Trump.
The United States Secret Service interviewed DelleChiaie in February, during which he allegedly admitted to conducting the searches and acknowledged owning multiple firearms, including a handgun stored at his home.
The Secret Service agent detailed in the complaint that he observed several phrases written on a whiteboard on DelleChiaie’s refrigerator, such as “Calm down more,” “Go to DC office if they do not action,” and “Say arrest me, I am going to murder Donald John Trump – per defense of oath,’” NBC News reported.
On April 21, prosecutors said, he sent an email with the subject line “Contact the President” to a public White House address, accusing Trump of wrongdoing and stating, “I, Dean DelleChiaie, am going neutralize/kill you – Donald John Trump,” according to court documents.
DelleChiaie was formally charged last week and is expected to appear in federal court. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Secret Service is leading the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Shannon handling the prosecution.
The news comes shortly after the April 25 shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attended by President Trump and other White House officials. Cole Thomas Allen was arrested in the shooting, facing a maximum life sentence.
