Jeannette Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Murder Federal Law Enforcement Officers

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to making threats to murder U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents, and a special agent and two task force officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced.

Dale Ankney, 72, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand to three counts of retaliating against federal law enforcement officers by threat.

In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that a review of Ankney's publicly available social media account revealed posts in which Ankney advocated acts of violence against federal law enforcement, specifically, ICE and IRS agents. On June 17, 2026, an FBI special agent and two FBI task force officers attempted an interview of Ankney at his residence. After displaying FBI credentials, identifying themselves as associated with the FBI, and indicating that they wanted to speak to Ankney regarding his threatening statements online, Ankney became agitated and instructed the FBI to leave, including telling the agents "I will cap your ass." as they returned to their vehicle. The following day, the FBI arrested Ankney at his residence on a federal criminal complaint. Ankney waived his rights and clarified that "cap" meant that he was threatening to shoot the FBI. In conjunction with the arrest, the FBI executed a federal search warrant upon Ankney's residence, from which they seized 21 firearms, two firearm silencers, firearm magazines, and ammunition.

Judge Wiegand scheduled Ankney's sentencing for January 7, 2027. The law provides for a maximum total sentence on each count of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.

Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Ankney.