FAA-Linked Worker Charged With Threatening Trump After Alleged Work-Computer Searches

Dean DelleChiaie, 35, of Nashua, New Hampshire, was arrested Monday and charged with interstate communication of a threat after authorities said he sent an April 21 email to the White House threatening President Donald Trump, according to Reuters, ABC News, and CBS Boston. Investigators said DelleChiaie used a government-issued work computer in late January to search for phrases including "I am going to kill Donald John Trump" and how to bring a gun into a federal facility, ABC News and CBS Boston reported. The charge follows months of Secret Service scrutiny that began with the reported searches and resulted in the April email, Reuters reported. DelleChiaie was charged in U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire, Reuters and ABC News reported.

The Details

The April 21 email carried the subject line "Contact the President" and was sent to a White House email address, according to Reuters. ABC News and CBS Boston reported that the criminal complaint quoted the email as stating: "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." The outlets said the message threatened to "neutralize/kill" the president and was attributed to DelleChiaie by name.

ABC News and CBS Boston reported that investigators said DelleChiaie used his government work computer in late January to search for the phrase "I am going to kill Donald John Trump," how to get a gun into a federal facility, and prior assassination attempts against Trump. CBS Boston separately reported that investigators said he also searched for information about the families of Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and that FAA information technology staff contacted the Secret Service after DelleChiaie asked to have his search history deleted. Reuters independently confirmed that the Secret Service described concerning searches involving assassination attempts against the president.

A Secret Service agent and a Nashua police officer interviewed DelleChiaie at his apartment on February 3, where CBS Boston reported he admitted conducting the searches. According to an affidavit quoted by CBS Boston, DelleChiaie stated he realized he should not search these subjects and that it was crazy for him to do this on his work computer. The interview occurred several weeks after the initial searches in January and approximately two and a half months before the April email, according to the timeline reported by the outlets.

ABC News and Reuters reported that the Federal Aviation Administration suspended DelleChiaie after the searches were flagged to investigators. The suspension was put in place before the April email was sent, according to the timeline reported by Reuters and CBS Boston. ABC News described DelleChiaie as an FAA employee, while Reuters and CBS Boston described him as an FAA contractor. The employment classification was not independently resolved in the reporting reviewed by Zero Signal, and the underlying criminal complaint did not settle the discrepancy, according to the outlets.

If convicted, DelleChiaie faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to ABC News and CBS Boston. The charge, interstate communication of a threat, was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire, Reuters and ABC News reported.

Context

The criminal case spans two phases: the January work-computer searches that first drew Secret Service attention and the April email threat that became the formal federal charge, according to ABC News, Reuters, and CBS Boston. Reuters reported that the White House received the threat email on April 21, anchoring the federal case to a direct communication rather than only suspicious search activity. The months between the February interview and the April email represent a period in which DelleChiaie remained suspended from his FAA-linked position, according to Reuters and CBS Boston.

Because some details come from the criminal complaint and affidavit rather than live courtroom testimony, the distinction between charged conduct, alleged conduct, and facts independently observed by agencies remains relevant, the outlets reported. The Secret Service tied the April 21 email to the criminal charge after documenting the earlier searches in an affidavit, according to Reuters and CBS Boston. DelleChiaie was arrested in New Hampshire on May 5 and is being prosecuted in federal court in Concord, according to Reuters, ABC News, and CBS Boston. The case is being handled by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire.

What's Next

DelleChiaie was scheduled to appear in federal court in Concord, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, Reuters and ABC News reported. The appearance follows his May 5 arrest on the federal charge, according to Reuters, ABC News, and CBS Boston.