A Columbus man is accused of threatening to kill President Donald Trump and behead a Florida congressman, according to federal court records.
Alex J. Miller, 26, is charged with interstate transmission of a threat to injure
, according to extradition documents filed in U.S. District Court in Columbus. Miller is charged in a federal court in Florida but was arrested in Ohio, where he lives, court records say.In court documents, prosecutors accused Miller of sending an email Aug. 18 to U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican who represents part of northeast Florida along the Atlantic Ocean, with the subject line, "Can't wait to snipe your head off your shoulders!" and using derogatory language to refer to Fine, including calling him a Nazi.
"I cannot
wait to take a trip to you [sic] lovely home and light the whole place on fire and murder you and your entire family in the middle of the night," the email said, according to court documents. "You deserve 10,000% to be beheaded and have your body paraded through the streets."
The email, according to court records, also threatened to kill Trump.
After the email was reported to the FBI, search warrants for the address it originated from tied Miller to the address and the location where the email was sent from, court records say.
During an Aug. 24 hearing, federal prosecutors argued that Miller, whom authorities arrested Aug. 19 in Columbus, should remain in custody. Prosecutors submitted an exhibit showing a Facebook page they allege belongs to Miller in which the user left reviews on the pages of multiple current and former government officials.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt were among those with reviews, court records say.
The review for Leavitt also included references to beheading and her head "rolling on the floor," according to court records.
Miller remains at the Franklin County jail but could be released, pending the results of a preliminary investigation into his background, according to court records.
Dispatch Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus man accused of threatening to kill Trump, Florida congressman
