Overview
- A federal jury found Rene Ortiz, 56, guilty on two counts of threatening successors to the presidency and one count of threatening a former president following a trial that concluded with a unanimous verdict.
- Prosecutors say Ortiz left two written threats at federal courthouses in Arizona on Nov. 5, 2024 and Nov. 25, 2024 that described plans to shoot the incoming president at the inauguration and to "execute" the newly elected president.
- During a U.S. Secret Service interview, agents report Ortiz repeated his intent to carry out the threats and he was arrested on Jan. 17, 2025, days before the inauguration.
- Ortiz faces up to five years in prison for each count, fines and supervised release, with sentencing set for Sept. 1, 2026 and a statutory maximum exposure of 15 years in total.
- Officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Secret Service and the U.S. Marshals emphasized that threats of political violence are investigated and prosecuted, and reporting notes Ortiz’s prior civil lawsuit and claimed veteran status as limited-sourcing details in the record.