CONCORD, N.H. — A contractor working for the Federal Aviation Administration in New Hampshire has been arrested on federal charges for allegedly threatening to kill President Donald Trump via email.
Dean DelleChiaie, 35, from Nashua, was scheduled for his first court hearing Tuesday facing charges of making interstate threats against the president. Federal prosecutors say DelleChiaie used his personal email on April 21 to send a message to the White House, identifying himself and stating he planned to “neutralize/kill” the president.
The email threat came almost three months after law enforcement and Secret Service agents had already interviewed DelleChiaie regarding suspicious internet searches conducted on his FAA work computer, where he worked as a mechanical engineering contractor.
Court filings reveal that in January, DelleChiaie used his workplace computer to look up information about bringing firearms into federal buildings, what percentage of Americans want the president killed, where the vice president lives, and the names of the vice president’s children. When DelleChiaie later requested that the FAA’s IT department erase his browsing history, they instead alerted authorities, leading to his work suspension.
During a February 3 interview at his residence, DelleChiaie acknowledged conducting the searches and expressed regret, according to Secret Service Special Agent Nathaneal Gamble’s report. He revealed to investigators that he possessed three firearms, was experiencing depression, and while he disagreed with Trump administration policies, he claimed to have no actual interest in carrying out an assassination.
DelleChiaie’s legal representative did not return calls for comment. His arrest on Monday occurred just over a week following an incident where an armed individual attempted to breach the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner carrying weapons. In that separate case, Cole Tomas Allen faces charges after a Secret Service agent was shot but sustained only minor injuries thanks to protective gear.
