Overview
- Andrew D. Emerald, 45, of Great Barrington, was taken into custody after agents serving a warrant Wednesday encountered him holding a long sword and later persuaded him to surrender.
- A grand jury indicted him in mid-March on eight counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications tied to May–July 2025 Facebook posts that prosecutors say threatened to kill President Trump and attack Mar-a-Lago.
- He pleaded not guilty in federal court in Springfield and now faces detention proceedings and prosecution, with each count carrying up to five years in prison and possible fines and supervised release.
- The FBI says agents seized multiple swords and other blades from his home, and court records note Secret Service contact in 2018 when he agreed to be barred from owning a gun.
- Prosecutors credit help from the Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and local police, and the case reflects tighter scrutiny of online threats after high-profile attempts on public officials in 2024.