Topline
A Chicago-area woman was reportedly arrested Monday after she repeatedly threatened to kill former President Donald Trump and his youngest son, Barron Trump, 17, in emails to a Florida school.
A woman was arrested in the Chicago Area Monday after alleging making threats to kill former … [+]
Key Facts
Tracy Marie Fiorenza allegedly sent two emails to the headmaster of a Palm Beach County, Florida, school in May and June in which she threatened to shoot Trump and his son “straight in the face at any opportunity” she gets and “slam a bullet in Baron Trump’s head with his father” as self defense, according to the complaint, which was filed August 9.
The filing doesn’t say which school the emails were sent to, but Barron Trump does reportedly attend a private school in Palm Beach County.
The complaint states Fiorenza was contacted in June about the emails and confirmed she intentionally wrote and sent from her home in Illinois.
She was charged with one count of transmitting threats to kill or injure another person in interstate commerce, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison or a maximum fine of $250,000, court documents show.
What To Watch For
Fiorenza was scheduled for a court appearance in Chicago federal court on Monday afternoon, but it’s likely she will be transferred to Florida because that’s where the charges were filed, CBS reported.
Key Background
Threats of violence against public officials have been increasing ahead of the 2024 election. News of Fiorenza’s threats come just days after a Texas woman was charged for threatening to kill the judge overseeing the federal election interference case against Trump, and weeks after a Utah man was killed by the FBI after allegedly making threats against President Joe Biden. Earlier this year, the U.S. Capitol Police said that, in 2022, it investigated 90% more cases than it did five years earlier in 2017. Although the case numbers decreased from the year before, 2022 still saw a “historically high caseload,” something Dr. Mario Scalora, the U.S. Capitol Police’s consulting psychologist, said could be attributed to the “false sense of anonymity” people have on social media. In the press release, the Capitol Police said all members of congress receive threats and concerning statements, and that both parties face a similar number of threats.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/08/21/woman-in-chicago-arrested-after-threatening-to-kill-trump-and-his-youngest-son/