A man in Pensacola has been indicted on charges of threatening President Donald Trump. Markus E. Hamlett, 46, who is listed as homeless, was charged in federal court with one count of threatening the President of the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
Hamlett was detained on February 4 and is being held without bond at the Santa Rosa County Jail. Court documents allege that Hamlett sent violent emails to various agencies and made similar threats to local sheriff’s deputies. The alleged threats were made approximately a year ago.
Documents reveal that Hamlett claimed to have traveled to Washington, D.C., with an intention to harm the president. Although Hamlett was on the federal government’s radar, action was taken only in January after the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office took him into custody under the Baker Act.
While at Lakeview Center, Hamlett allegedly made verbal threats against the president to intake staff, according to the sheriff’s office report. When federal agents interviewed him, Hamlett reportedly stated, “I have been sending emails and making phone calls for a year trying to get arrested.”
A Secret Service database reportedly contains numerous threats made by Hamlett over the past year, including an arrest in October 2025 by San Jose Police Department for similar threats. Hamlett did not deny being the sender when questioned in Pensacola.
Hamlett appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hope T. Cannon in Pensacola for his initial hearing, with trial set for April 6 before District Judge M. Casey Rodgers. If convicted, Hamlett could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
