FAA employee arrested for threatening to kill Trump via email: 'I am going to kill you'

A week after Cole Allen attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, a new case of threats against the president came to light. Dean DelleChiaie, 35, a mechanical engineer with the Federal Aviation Administration based in Nashua, New Hampshire, was arrested Monday and appeared before a federal judge Tuesday, accused of sending a threatening email to the White House on April 21.

In the message, as reported by NBC News, DelleChiaie wrote: "I, Dean DelleChiaie, am going neutralize/kill you - Donald John Trump - because you decided to kill kids - and say that it was War - when in reality - it is terrorism. God knows your actions and where you belong."

Following his arrest, DelleChiaie was charged with "interstate communication of a threat" and now faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Disturbing threats

One of the most troubling developments in the case is that DelleChiaie was known to authorities as early as January. The FAA itself alerted the Secret Service that month after detecting that the engineer had used his work computer to conduct disturbing searches, including: how to get a weapon into a federal facility, what percentage of the population wants Trump dead and the phrase "I am going to kill Donald John Trump."

DelleChiaie also looked up the home addresses of Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as the names and ages of their children.

When DelleChiaie realized his searches could leave a trail and incriminate him, he asked the IT department to delete his history. That attempt gave him away even more, for the department alerted the FAA, which suspended him and transferred the information to the Secret Service.

In February, a Secret Service agent and a Nashua police officer interviewed him at his apartment. DelleChiaie admitted to the searches, said he was remorseful and acknowledged possessing three firearms. He also confessed to being depressed, in therapy, drinking until he blacked out and using marijuana daily, according to the NBC News report. Agents also noticed a chalkboard on his refrigerator with phrases written on it, including, "Calm down more," "Go to DC office if they do not action," and "Say arrest me 'I am going to murder Donald John Trump - per defense of oath.'"

Despite the suspension and Secret Service interview, he sent the threatening email to the White House weeks later.

DelleChiaie was ordered held without bail while awaiting trial and requested a public defender. His arraignment coincided with the day Allen was formally indicted on a new charge - assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon - added to the April 25 attempted murder.