TALLAHASSEE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO SENDING MULTIPLE THREATS TO KILL THE PRESIDENT, MEMBER OF CONGRESS, AND FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN

The following information was released by the U.S. Department of Justice:

Diego M. Villavicencio, 36, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty to two counts of sending interstate threats, one count of impeding or retaliating against a federal official, and one count of threats against the President. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "As the terrifying events at the White House Correspondents Dinner this past weekend showed, threats of violence can quickly escalate to acts of violence by deranged individuals. My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting criminal threats of violence against public officials to stop dangerous individuals, like this defendant, before they become would-be assassins. Criminal threats directed at public officials are becoming alarmingly more common, and this must stop now. We have zero-tolerance for such criminality in the Northern District of Florida and will seek maximum punishments to keep our public officials safe."

Court documents show that the Defendant made multiple online threats of violence directed at President Donald J. Trump, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell over the course of several months. On September 15, 2025, the Defendant posted on his X account threats directed at Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, with one post depicting an image of a red sight and crosshairs pointed at Powell's head and the text "Jerome. Powell will be shot and killed September 23" (sic), and a second post depicting the same image and the text "Jerome is next."

On September 16, 2025, the Defendant again sent threats via his X account, this time directed toward a Member of Congress. Responding to a post by the Member, the Defendant wrote "I'll kill you and your family and you won't do anything about it. Corruption listens to bullets." The Defendant then sent a direct message to the Member, stating "You are going to be shot and killed on September 24."

On January 25, 2026, the Defendant responded to a post on the online platform 4chan, stating that he would be driving to Mar-a-Lago "to take a couple of shots at trump and some of the other corrupt plutocrats[.]"

Villavicencio faces up to 25 years' imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for July 20, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Capitol Police, the Federal Reserve Board Protective Service, and the United States Secret Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric W. Welch.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.