Image Credit: Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images 
The Department of Justice has announced charges against a man who allegedly vowed to kill President Trump and his family.
In an unsealed criminal complaint filed on Apr. 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, a man identified as 29-year-old Michael Kovco is accused of sending threatening messages via the White House website.
On Mar. 17, Kovco allegedly wrote the following:
I’m going to take a serrated knife and saw Barron Trump’s head off after I successfully stake out the president of the united states with a high caliber sniper rifle permanently aimed at the White House Lawn from a local vantage point. I have absolutely every intent of plotting and carrying out an active assassination attempt against the President of the United States of America. This is a serious threat.
In the “From” portion of the contact form, the defendant allegedly wrote, “Mr. I’m going to fucking kill your child Kovco.”
U.S. Secret Service (USSS) agents immediately visited the address listed on the form, which aligned with the IP address from which the message was sent, but no one answered the door.
On Mar. 19, Kovco allegedly sent another message via the White House website, which read as follows:
I intend to purchase a high caliber assault rifle with a large magazine and assemble several improvised explosive devices within my home at [the North Cumberland Residence] and leave them in several key places around Washington DC until I get justice for my rape from the US government.
A minute later, the White House received another message from “Mr. Michael Kovco”:
I’m literally gonna find out how Barron Trump walks around in NYC or DC or wherever the fuck he is and run at him with a serrated bread knife and saw that motherfuckers head off
Kovco then allegedly sent a follow-up message a minute later, which stated:
I’m gonna hunt the secret service agent that comes to my door’s family so he better not tell me any identifying information at all like first or last name or pet name or address or place of work because im going to buy a small concealable firearm and go shoot up his place of work immediately if he tells me anything.
Roughly 30 minutes later, USSS agents arrived at the apartment, where another resident informed them that Kovco was “not compliant” with his medication, was unemployed, and rarely left the home.
Kovco reportedly walked into the hallway in an agitated state and told agents, “That’s fucking hilarious. It wasn’t me. Go Fuck yourself. Go get a warrant for my arrest.”
He reportedly reentered the apartment, then returned to say, “Ok, I posted four more. I’m gonna get money from your ass. Go check it out.”
Kovco was arrested on Apr. 3 and charged with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.
He was scheduled to appear in federal court on Apr. 10.
An investigation is ongoing.
