Former Marine Charged with Threatening to Kill the President

Jacksonville, Florida - William L. Upham (35, Jacksonville) has been arrested and charged by criminal complaint with threatening the President of the United States. If convicted, Upham faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. Upham appeared in federal court in Jacksonville earlier today and has been ordered detained.

According to the complaint, the United States Secret Service ("USSS") received reports concerning potential threats against the President made by Upham, who is a former Marine and state prosecutor. USSS agents then observed two videos that Upham had posted on his social media accounts. In the first video, Upham was observed wearing his military uniform. Upham stated, in part, that "this is a call to arms" and called for the overthrow of the Trump administration. Upham then provided instructions on how to "overthrow" the President, including that he recommended using a semi-automatic rifle, such as an AR-15, and that "the enemy" should be killed with "two shots to the chest" and "one shot to the head," which would result in a very high chance of death. Agents observed a second video in which Upham, again wearing his military uniform, made similar statements, including, in part, that President Trump is the enemy and "must be killed."

Subsequent to these videos, the USSS received a communication that Upham had sent to a third-party which stated that he made the videos to "declare war" against President Trump and that he would "kill President Trump at the time that God chooses." The USSS also became aware that Upham had access to firearms and had made concerning statements to law enforcement as recently as July 2026.

A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelli Swaney.