FAA contractor charged in threat against Trump

May 6, 2026

Summary

Federal prosecutors said a New Hampshire FAA contractor threatened to kill President Trump in an email to the White House.

Why this matters

The case outlines how federal authorities responded to an alleged threat against the president, including searches on a government computer and a later email to the White House. It also underscores the legal consequences of alleged interstate threats against public officials.

A Federal Aviation Administration contractor in New Hampshire faces a federal charge after authorities said he threatened to kill President Trump and used a work computer to research past assassination attempts against him.

Dean DelleChiaie, 35, was arrested Monday and made his first appearance before a federal judge Tuesday, according to the Justice Department. He was charged with one count of interstate communication of a threat.

DelleChiaie, an FAA contractor in mechanical engineering, was accused of using a government computer in late January to search how to bring a gun into a federal facility, past attempts on Trump’s life, the share of the population that wants the president dead, and related topics.

A criminal complaint said he also searched for the locations of the vice president’s and defense secretary’s homes, as well as the names and ages of their children.

“At some point after running those searches, DELLECHIAIE took his FAA work computer to the FAA’s Information Technology (IT) department and requested to delete his search history off the device,” the complaint stated, adding that the IT department reported the “concerning searches” within the agency, which then referred the matter to the U.S. Secret Service.

According to the complaint, DelleChiaie was suspended from the FAA.

Special Agent Nathaniel Gamble wrote that DelleChiaie told investigators he was upset with the Trump administration over the election, presidential pardons, and the Jeffrey Epstein files. He also said he was depressed and undergoing ketamine therapy.

“DELLECHIAIE stated he had no interest in assassinations but he did conduct a search about assassinations because it was part of the cycle that was going on in his mind,” the complaint stated. “DELLECHIAIE could not provide a reason other than that as to why he searched about assassinations or attempted assassinations.”

The complaint said DelleChiaie also admitted owning three firearms, including a handgun in a safe at his home.

Months later, prosecutors said, he sent an email to the White House identifying himself and saying he would “neutralize/kill” Trump.

If convicted, DelleChiaie faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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