Ohio man charged with threatening to kill VP Vance; second charge alleges child sexual abuse files
An Ohio man, Shannon Mathre, has been charged with threatening to kill Vice President JD Vance while the vice president was visiting his home state last month, federal prosecutors said. The federal case also includes a second charge tied to digital files depicting child sexual abuse that were discovered during the investigation, according to the charging documents described in court.
Mathre, 33, entered a not guilty plea in federal court on Friday, his lawyer said. The case is now set to return to court Wednesday for a hearing to determine whether he will remain in custody as the prosecution moves forward.
According to the investigation described by the Justice Department and the Secret Service, officials took the threat seriously after Mathre allegedly told others: “I am going to find out where he (the vice president) is going to be and use my M14 automatic gun and kill him.” The indictment reportedly does not provide extensive details about the alleged threat or the images, but prosecutors said the investigation went beyond the online threat to examine Mathre’s actions and behavior as well.
Federal prosecutors also said the case involved a seized Samsung phone. The Secret Service said the phone was taken on Jan. 21 as part of the investigation, connected to the threat allegation and related conduct.
In a statement, Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the Justice Department is “vigorously prosecuting this disgusting threat against Vice President Vance.” Bondi added, “You can hide behind a screen, but you cannot hide from this Department of Justice.”
U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer, who leads the Northern District of Ohio, said in remarks accompanying the charges that “hostile and violent threats made against the Vice President, or any other public official, will not be tolerated in our district.” A Secret Service agent in charge of the Toledo office, Matthew Schierloh, said there should be “zero tolerance for any kind of political violence in this country.”
Schierloh said the Secret Service treats security for the protected officials as central to its work and described the arrest as the result of what he called a “comprehensive joint investigation.” He added that “Thanks to vigilant members of the public and the tenacious work of our special agents,” officials arrested a defendant making threats against the vice president.
Mathre’s attorney, Neil McElroy, argued in court that Mathre’s health challenges make it unlikely the threat could be carried out. McElroy said it would have been apparent to anyone in the courtroom when Mathre pleaded not guilty, and he told reporters that the threat charge is “a farce.” He declined to provide details about the defendant’s health challenges beyond saying Mathre has “some mental disabilities and a variety of other conditions.”
McElroy also said he could not comment on the charge related to possessing child sexual abuse files because prosecutors have not yet provided any details at this early stage of the case. Prosecutors have said the threats-related charge could bring a maximum five-year prison sentence, while the child sexual abuse files charge carries up to 20 years.
The charges come amid additional activity involving Vance’s Ohio residence. The Secret Service said another Ohio man, William D. DeFoor, 26, was charged last month after officials reported that he broke windows at Vance’s Ohio home not long after the vice president returned to Washington following a weekend visit to Ohio. Vance is currently in Milan, Italy, attending the start of the Winter Olympic Games, according to the report.