A 29-year-old Chicago man faces federal charges after sending explicit threats to kill President Donald Trump, his son Barron, and Secret Service agents. Michael Kovco allegedly detailed plans for sniper attacks and other violence in messages to the CIA and White House. Authorities arrested him on April 3 following an investigation.
Michael Kovco, 29, from Chicago, sent messages to the CIA and White House websites outlining plans to assassinate President Trump using a heavy-caliber anti-materiel sniper rifle on the White House lawn, according to a Justice Department complaint. In one message to the CIA dated August 15, 2025, Kovco wrote, 'I am plotting to kill the president … in an ambush,' and requested a clear line of fire toward Marine One during the president's departure from the garden. He also threatened U.S. Secret Service agents and Trump's son, Barron, vowing to saw off the teenager's head with a serrated knife after staking out the president with a sniper rifle, the complaint states. On March 17, 2026, Kovco messaged the White House, declaring, 'I have absolutely every intent of plotting and carrying out an active assassination attempt against the President of the United States of America. This is a serious threat.' Two hours after federal agents and Secret Service task force officers visited his home about those threats, Kovco sent further messages on March 19, referring to himself as an 'admiral' and claiming plans to buy a high-caliber assault rifle, assemble improvised explosive devices, and place them around Washington, D.C., for 'justice for my rape from the US government.' He warned he would 'hunt' any agents who approached him, threatening to shoot up their workplaces with a concealable firearm. Authorities traced the threats using Kovco's included phone number and email. The Justice Department announced his arrest on April 3 and charges of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, which carries a maximum five-year prison sentence if convicted.
