New Mexico man sentenced to 10 months in federal prison for threats against Trump

An Albuquerque, New Mexico man has been sentenced to approximately 10 months in federal prison for using social media to issue violent threats against President Trump, according to federal prosecutors.

The sentence was announced on Wednesday, when prosecutors said 38-year-old Tyler Leveque posted a series of threats between January 2 and 4, 2025, directed at then President-Elect Donald Trump. According to court documents, the posts were made across TikTok, X, and Facebook.

Leveque pleaded guilty to making threats against the President and successors to the presidency, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. He will be subject to three years of supervised release after completing his prison term.

According to court filings, Leveque first posted a TikTok video on January 2 in which he delivered a series of statements aimed at various people and groups. Prosecutors said Leveque warned that those he opposed should be “fucking scared,” adding that he did not care if he died and ending the video with the phrase “Run, run.”

On January 3, Leveque directed threats at Trump on X, writing: “@realDonaldTrump I got my eyes on you sir! Cant wait for your Victory rally! The 19th right!? Lol you and your rich friends are dead no threat a promise.”

In another post he wrote: “Hey @celebrities @ceos @elonmusk @DonaldTrump @Joemarafa its too late for yall shouldve [sic] shut down tik tok a long time ago see u on the 19thfor war!” In response to a separate post from Trump, Leveque wrote: “Die.”

Prosecutors said the threats continued on January 4, when Leveque posted on Facebook, claiming he had purchased a gun and telling the public, “we are hunting you down!” He also wrote that a planned march on state offices would occur on January 19 and suggested he expected to die or be jailed during the effort.

The U.S. Secret Service and the FBI contacted Leveque at his Albuquerque residence on January 6, according to prosecutors. Investigators determined he had paid for a firearm online on January 4 but had not yet completed the purchase or taken possession of the weapon.

“The sentencing today reminds all of us that threatening violence is not protected speech and the United States Secret Service will continue to aggressively investigate and pursue prosecution on all threats against our protectees and elected public officials.” said Ron Emmot, Resident Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Albuquerque Resident Office.