Crime & Law

Chicago Man Charged After Allegedly Threatening Donald Trump, Secret Service Agent

A Chicago man faces federal charges after he allegedly threatened President Donald Trump and later a Secret Service agent, claiming he planned to “shoot up his place of work immediately.”

Federal prosecutors in Chicago charged Michael Kovco, 29, with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. He was arrested last week and is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing Friday.

“As I have stated repeatedly during my first year as United States Attorney, it is never acceptable to threaten a law enforcement officer, political figure, or a member of their family,” Andrew Boutros, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said in a statement.

Prosecutors in their complaint claimed Kovco sent a message on March 17 to the official White House website threatening Trump and his son, Barron, addressing himself as “Mr. I’m going to f--king kill your child Kovco,” while including his own phone number, location and email address.

Two days later, a Secret Service agent and a pair of officers went to Kovco’s home to interview him, but received no response when they knocked on the door, the complaint states. About two hours later, Kovco allegedly sent a message through the White House webpage claiming he planned to “purchase a high caliber assault rifle” and “assemble several improvised explosive devices within my home … and leave them in several key places around Washington DC.”

Approximately one minute later, Kovco allegedly posted a second message threatening to “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.”

Kovco allegedly posted three more messages in which he again threatened Barron Trump and to use “improvised explosive devices.”

The Secret Service agent and other investigators returned to Kovco’s home a short time later where they spoke with one resident before Kovco exited the residence. When informed why they were there, Kovco allegedly stated “That’s f--king hilarious. It wasn’t me. Go f--k yourself. Go get a warrant for my arrest.”

When the agent again stated that he was at Kovco’s home to investigate threats against the president, Kovco allegedly stated, “Ok, I posted four more. I’m gonna get money from your ass. Go check it out.”

That interaction was recorded on one of the investigator’s body worn cameras, the complaint states.

The complaint also claims that Kovco previously sent a message threatening to kill Trump through the CIA’s public website last August.

If convicted, Kovco faces up to five years in federal prison.

“Under my watch, political violence will be dealt with as the serious federal crime that it is,” Boutros said. “Working closely with our federal and state law enforcement partners, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will find, arrest, and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those responsible for criminally threatening the safety of our public officials and law enforcement officers.”

---