Overview
- A Chicago federal jury reached its verdict Thursday after a three-day trial, finding Trent Schneider, 58, guilty of making a “true threat,” a felony that carries up to five years in prison.
- Prosecutors said Schneider posted an Instagram video threatening violence and telling President Trump, “You should be executed,” and he wrote a caption that denied it was a threat while citing his looming home auction.
- Agents traced the Instagram account to Schneider through subscriber records and facial comparisons, visited his Winthrop Harbor home, and later saw the same account post a clip of the agents walking away.
- Prosecutors argued his words were serious given his foreclosure and prior incidents, including a 2022 arrest over a store threat and a 2023 finding that he was unfit to stand trial, while the defense said he never acted on his words and plans to appeal.
- Schneider has been jailed since his November arrest, and although the judge did not commit to keeping him detained before sentencing, lawyers are due back in court Tuesday as the case moves to the next phase.