Pennsylvania – A Pennsylvania man who posted online that he was “going to kill Trump” just days before Donald Trump returned to the White House will not spend more time behind bars, a federal judge has ruled.
This comes shortly after the recent incident in Washington when California man was stopped by Secret Service agents and was later detained.
Jacob Buckley, 23, was sentenced Wednesday to one year of probation, a $500 fine and required mental health treatment after pleading guilty to a felony count of making threats against the then president-elect.
Prosecutors had asked for a year in prison, arguing that political threats made from behind a keyboard still carry real weight in a country already shaken by violence and attempted attacks on public officials.
The case began on Jan. 16, 2025, four days before Trump’s second inauguration. According to court records, Buckley used a TikTok account bearing his name to respond to a livestream about Trump.
One comment said, “I hate MAGA republicans bro on god I’ll kill all of them.” In another post, he wrote, “I’m going to kill Trump.” A third message warned, “Bro we going into a literal oligarchy in 4 days and im going to kill Trump.”
The words were blunt, public and serious enough to draw federal attention. But at sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann chose probation over incarceration, pointing to Buckley’s lack of a criminal record and the absence of evidence that he had taken steps to carry out the threats.
Buckley also expressed remorse in court, saying there was “no excuse” for what he had done and adding, “I wish I could take it back.”
His defense said Buckley cooperated with investigators after being contacted by federal agents and had worked to address mental health issues tied to the case. The sentence requires him to continue treatment and follow prescribed medication requirements, placing the focus on supervision rather than prison.
Federal prosecutors, however, had urged a tougher penalty.
Assistant U.S. Attorney K. Wesley Mishoe described the case as part of the “dark side of digital platforms” and warned that threats against public officials are not harmless outbursts.
In a sentencing memo, he wrote that political violence “is not an aberration” and said each such act damages democracy and public trust. He also argued that even if Buckley did not plan to act, the conduct remained “unquestionably serious.”
The probation sentence stands out because other recent Trump-related threat cases have led to harsher outcomes or ongoing detention.
In March, federal prosecutors in Virginia announced that Valeriy Kouznetsov, 41, had been sentenced to more than two years in prison after making repeated threats toward the president, his family and other officials on X.
Authorities said Kouznetsov had a prior conviction for threatening Trump after a 2020 incident near the Trump International Hotel in Washington, where he tried to enter the property and threatened to stab the president.
In Texas, Robert Herrera, 52, of Texas, pleaded guilty in August 2025 after posting “I won’t miss” under a Facebook story about Trump’s planned visit to the Texas Hill Country following deadly floods. Prosecutors said the post included an image of Trump surrounded by Secret Service agents after the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. Herrera later posted a photo of an assault rifle and loaded magazines after another Facebook user replied to him.
Another Pennsylvania case involved Thomas Monper. He was accused of posting threats on YouTube under the name “Mr Satan.” Federal authorities said Monper had obtained a firearms permit shortly after Trump’s inauguration and claimed online that he was buying guns, body armor and ammunition. One alleged comment said, “im going to assassinate him myself.”
The most dramatic recent case unfolded in Washington, where Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of California, is accused of storming the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25 while armed with guns and knives.
Allen pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that he attempted to kill Trump and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, who was struck in a bullet-resistant vest and was not seriously hurt. Allen remains in federal custody and is scheduled to return to court June 29.
Against that backdrop, Buckley’s case ended with a lighter punishment, but not with the court treating the threats as meaningless. The ruling leaves him outside prison walls, under supervision, and with a criminal conviction tied to words posted online during one of the country’s most politically charged moments.
