Texas man convicted over threat to attack Washington, D.C.

A Texas man who drove toward Washington, D.C., with several guns and ammunition after posting messages about overthrowing the government has been convicted of making an interstate threat, according to federal prosecutors.

Jay Anthony Villarreal, 25, of Hondo, Texas, was convicted Wednesday by a federal jury in San Antonio of one count of interstate threatening communication. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 21.

According to prosecutors, Villarreal left his home in Hondo on June 28, 2025, intending to carry out an attack in Washington to overthrow the government.

He was armed with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, along with loaded magazines and boxes of ammunition for each weapon.

Investigators said Villarreal also had a police scanner, binoculars, a Bible and a copy of the Texas Penal Code in his vehicle.

As part of the plan, prosecutors said Villarreal used social media to try to recruit military veterans to join him. A friend in Maryland saw one of the posts the next morning, believed it could involve a mass killing and reported it to the FBI.

Another acquaintance in Hondo was also disturbed by the messages and contacted local police, prosecutors said. Family members and friends later sent messages to Villarreal while he was driving toward Washington, leading him to turn around in the Beaumont area and return home on June 29.

FBI agents searched Villarreal’s home later that day and found two U.S. military smoke grenades, in addition to the firearms and other materials found in his vehicle, prosecutors said. He was arrested on July 2, 2025.

“Given the darkness that invades the minds of so many, and the prevalence of violent acts committed in the name of politics, it is more important now than ever to say something if you see something,” U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons said. “That single decision can lead to a swift response and lives saved, as it did in this case.”